Unwired

The Pew Internet and American Life Project just released Who’s Not Online and Why. The results reveal that 15 percent of U.S. adults – nearly 40 million people – simply don’t use the Internet or email.

As you might surmise, this large group isn’t evenly distributed among the population, but is determined by education levels, income and, above all, by age.

One-fifth of non-users, cite cost as the reason, and one-third say “they are not interested, do not want to use it, or have no need for it.” Half of the non-users are older Americans, and according to Pew a surprising 44 percent of people 65 and older don’t go online.

But the real surprise is about the real or perceived trouble of getting connected. Said Pew:

“One of the most striking changes is that issues related to the difficulty of using the internet are more prominent than they were in previous surveys, while in 2010, for instance, almost half (48%) of non-internet users cited issues of relevance, and only one in five mentioned usability or price-related reasons, respectively.”

There are younger people who find the Internet beyond them, but not many. Instead it remains older Americans who are intimidated by the process.

Overall, 32 percent of non-users are just scared off. “These non-users,” said Pew, “say it is difficult or frustrating to go online, they are physically unable, or they are worried about other issues such as spam, spyware, and hackers. This figure is considerably higher than in earlier surveys.”

Read the report here.

Who’s Not Online and Why (Pew news release, Sep. 25, 2103)

Who’s Not Online and Why (Pew report, Sep. 25, 2103)