US: Over Half of
Americans Use Web
By Genaro C. Armas
Associated Press Writer
Tuesday,
February 5, 2002; 6:47 PM
WASHINGTON –– More than half of all
Americans use the Internet, with more than 2 million people going online
for the first time each month.
And nine out of 10 school-age children now have access to computers
either at home or at school, according to a Commerce Department report
released Tuesday.
"Today's children are tomorrow's entrepreneurs and innovators,"
Commerce Secretary Don Evans said. "That Internet usage is so prominent
among them promises to bring vitality and growth to our economy."
The report came as critics assailed the Bush administration for
slashing funding in its 2003 budget proposal for programs designed to
narrow the so-called "digital divide," disparities in computer and
Internet use along racial and income lines.
The 96-page report said that the growing availability of computers at
workplaces and schools helped open up the Internet "across all demographic
groups and geographic regions."
Fifty-four percent of Americans used the Internet in September 2001, or
143 million people, the report said. That was up from 33 percent three
years earlier.
"They are right that the numbers have gotten better in some ways, but
when you have 140 million people not connected to the Internet, how do you
ignore that?" asked Larry Irving, a former Clinton administration Commerce
official who worked on similar reports.
In addition, more than half of all households now have an Internet
subscription from home, up from one-quarter of all households in Dec.
1998.
"Could I live without a computer? Yeah, but I think it would be very
tough," said Michael King, a New York City lawyer, as he checked his
e-mail. "Knowing how to use a computer and the Internet is a necessary
skill in this day and age."
Doing research is the top reason that adults log on, but more Internet
users are also going online to accomplish everyday activities like banking
and shopping, said Susannah Fox, director of research at the Pew Internet
& American Life Project.
The report said that:
–45 percent of the population now uses e-mail, up from 35 percent in
2000.
–36 percent use the Internet to search for product and service
information, up from 26 percent.
–39 percent of Internet users are making online purchases and 35
percent of individuals are searching for health information.
–––
On the Net:
Commerce Department: http://www.commerce.gov
Pew Internet and American Life: http://www.pewinternet.org/
© 2002 The Associated Press
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