15% of American Adults Do Not Use the Internet At All

Digital/Online

September 25, 2013 -- According to research from the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, as of May 2013, 15% of American adults (ages 18+) do not use the internet or email.

Reasons they self-reported for not going online:
 

• 34% of non-internet users say the internet is just not relevant to them, saying they are not interested, do not want to use it, or have no need for it.

• 32% feel the internet is not very easy to use. These say it is difficult or frustrating to go online, they are physically unable, or they are worried about security issues such as spam, spyware, and hackers. Pew states this figure is considerably higher than in earlier surveys.

• 19% of non-internet users cite the expense of owning a computer or paying for an internet connection as the reason they don't bother going online.

• 7% of non-users have a physical lack of availability or access to the internet. 

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Source: Pew Research Center, September 2013
 

• As with past Pew survey findings, internet use remains strongly correlated with age (as well as educational attainment, and household income); 44% of Americans ages 65 and older do not use the internet -- senior Americans make up almost half (49%) of non-internet users overall.

• Pew finds that most adults who do not use the internet or email don't plan to do so in future --just 8% of offline adults say they would like to start using the internet or email; 92% say they are not interested.

• Non-internet using respondents were asked whether they would need assistance going online if they did wish to do so; 63% say they would need assistance, while 7% said they would be able to go online on their own.

About: The findings are based on data from telephone interviews conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International from April 17 to May 19, 2013, among a sample of 2,252 adults ages 18 and older.  Telephone interviews were conducted in English and Spanish by landline and cell phone. For results based on the total sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the error attributable to sampling is +/- 2.3 percentage points.

Source: Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, Who’s Not Online and Why, September 25, 2013.