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August 26, 1998
Study Says 70 Million American Adults Use the Internet
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ASHINGTON -- More than one-third of Americans over 16 use the Internet, an increase of more than 18 million people in nine months, according to a new survey released Tuesday of online use.
The study by Nielsen Media Research and CommerceNet estimates 70.2 million adult Americans use the Internet, with the largest increases among blacks and American Indians and among young adults and women over 50 in the nine months through June 1998.
The study also estimated that 44 million Americans -- almost twice as many men than women -- use the Web to make purchases or compare products.
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One researcher speculated that new types of products for sale across the Internet are driving electronic commerce, along with falling personal computer prices and technology that's easier to use.
"A couple years ago, when you went shopping, the primary things you would find online were computers, hardware and software -- things for the techno-elite," said Loel McPhee, research director at CommerceNet. "Now you can send flowers and all sorts of things."
The 70.2 million figure represents 35 percent of Americans over 16; the same study in September 1997 counted 52 million adult Americans online.
The study estimated 40.1 million American men and 30.1 million women use the Internet and said percentage growth among men and women overall during the nine-month period was about equal.
"Last fall, we thought there might be a slight leveling off," said McPhee. "This isn't the case with the numbers we're seeing now. My guess is we'll continue to grow until we hit the 50 percent mark."
McPhee predicted 50 percent of adults in America and Canada will use the Internet by late 1999 or early 2000.
Detailed figures from Tuesday's study showed the largest gains in Internet use among some minority groups -- especially blacks and American Indians -- and among young adults and women over 50.
The report estimated 5.6 million U.S. blacks use the Internet, an increase of 53 percent from nine months earlier, and 868,000 American Indians online, an increase of 70 percent.
It also showed gains of 46 percent among people ages 16-24, and an increase of 50 percent in the number of women over 50 using the Internet.
The Nielsen-CommerceNet study was based in part on randomly dialed telephone interviews with 4,042 people in the United States during June 1998. The September study was based in part on telephone interviews with 7,157 Americans.
People who had used any part of the Internet -- e-mail, the Web, FTP, telnet, chat rooms or discussion groups -- during the past month were counted as Internet users.
A summary of the report is available on the Web at www.commerce.net/research. The full report costs $5,000.
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