Almost 30% Of U.S. Households Have No Internet

[bananas]

Embedded links in the article.

http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/82532

Almost 30% Of U.S. Households Have No Internet
Survey cites reason as disinterest in what’s online

Some of us can’t go more than a few hours without access to the Internet before we feel like we’ve become completely out-of-touch with our worlds. But that isn’t the case for everyone; a recent survey by Parks Associates showed that nearly 30% of U.S. households do not have Internet access and do not intend to acquire it within the next year. The reason cited was a lack of interest in online content. It has been suggested that increased entertainment applications may change people’s minds, a suggestion supported by the study’s findings regarding an increase in broadband subscriptions. However, the study does not indicate the age or other demographics of its respondents; is it possible that some people just have no use for the Internet?

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[baldguy]

1. And Bush's support hovers around 30%. Hmmmmm....

[stirlingsliver]

2. Necessity or Luxury?

Many years ago, having a telephone was considered a luxury.

Now it is practically a necessity.

The same thing will happen with the internet.

I just hope more people will be able to afford both the computer and the internet.

[slackmaster]

About the same percentage of households that don't have a computer

:dunce:

[RC]

13. Gee, I did not know that.

DU is such a great source of information... :evilgrin:

[stirlingsliver]

3. Delete -- Duplicate

(sorry)

[stirlingsliver]

4. Delete -- Triplicate

Very Sorry.

[Old and In the Way]

5. Someone should test this hypothesis.

Do you support George Bush?
Do you use the internet for news and commentary?

I'll bet there's a strong "yes and no" correlation here.

[napi21]

6. I think cost of a computer has a lot to do with this.

Many households have barely enough money to survive day to day, let alone have even $400 extra to buy a computer, and THEN have to pay additional $$ for internet access. Even though I feel like I would DIE without my computer, I've also lived through times in the past when I desperately wanted something that cost $10, but I just didn't have the money!

[blogslut]

7. The rise in new U.S. users has definitely leveled off

I'd say for a couple of years now.

[givemebackmycountry]

8. On the other hand that means that 70% of American Households DO have access...

So, what's up with that 30%?

Is it economic?

Is it that they are just unaware and uneducated?
We already know that at least 30% of Americans don't have a clue about what's going on around them, and that they don't care to know either.

I guess I'm being both stupid and unaware myself.
I know that I could not live without internet access.
I'd go CRAZY if I didn't have it available to me all day, every day.

How anyone could not be interested in "on-line" content is beyond me.

The internet literally has "something for everyone".

This was good catch by the OP.
I want to read more about this.

[stirlingsliver]

10. I'd Bet Many of Them Are

I'd bet that many of them are "computer challenged".

I have a couple fo friends who are so "computer challenged" that using an ATM scares them.

This fear is real (although not necessarily rational).

For others, it is the thought that "I cna live my life just fine without the internet, why should I go to the trouble of learning all that I would need to know?"

I wonder how many people do not own iPods and other equipment like that.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

15. I don't own an iPod

and don't even know what it is used for. So I could see how people who haven't been around computers would have no idea about what all they can do.

But I've been computer literate for 20 years or so (remember Apple II computers?). Anyway, through the years I've come across a LOT of people who are afraid they will "break" the computer and come all unglued if a page freezes. Most didn't have a clue what all they could do and find on a computer--this was at a computer class I taught at a senior center in 2000-2002. Interestingly enough, one of the most ardent freeper types was one of the most computer savvy. But she basically emailed and looked only at pages that agreed with her opinion.

[ananda]

9. sheesh

don't have a computer
can't afford a computer
can't afford broadband

[riverdeep]

11. I could go without a TV

before I could go without internet.

[JitterbugPerfume]

12. sometimes we "old 'uns" fear the unknown

my computer scared the Sh## out of me before I just swallowed hard and jumped in.

It is now such an important part of my life that I can't imagine being without it.

[patricia92243]

14. I thought it would be a lot higher than 30%. n/t