New Poll Shows 79 Pct Of Americans Online

A new Harris Poll surveys American online activity, with 79% of US adults now online.

A new Harris Poll has found that about 80% of Americans are now online, bringing a total of 178 million, a 10% rise over last year.   The telephone survey conducted in July and October among 2,062 adults, discovered that 79 percent of adults are now online, up from 77 percent in February/April 2006.   Adults are also spending more time online, 11 hours a week, which is a rise from nine hours last year and eight in 2005.   72% of adults are online at home, another increase over last year, with 37% online at work. However, the poll found the biggest increase to be among those who are online at a location other than home or work, which has leaped to 31% from 22% last year.   What is interesting is the way online usage seems to reflect the makeup of the country.   “As Internet penetration continues to grow, the demographic profile of Internet users continues to look more like that of the nation as a whole,” the poll observed. “It is still true that more young than older people, and more affluent than low-income people, are online.”