Twenty Percent Of American Adults Never Use The Internet

With the Internet widely available for use in homes, schools, and in public spaces like libraries, one would think nearly all of the American population would have at least checked out the Internet at least once or twice. Turns out, reality is much farther from the truth: according to The Pew Internet Project, one in five American adults never go online.

If babies and maybe puppies were involved in this equation, the numbers would be a little less shocking, but since we are only talking adults, the figure is far more harrowing. According to the study, most of the adults who do not use the Internet live in households where no one uses the Internet. Even more problematic, most responders to the study have no interest in any online activity, stating the Internet is not useful or has no germane content.

The news is not all bad, however. Despite the issues still present with the digital divide, Internet use is increasing across the board. According to eWeek, in 2011, only about half of Americans had Internet access and now 62% have the much faster broadband access. Now, even lower income groups and those with no college education have been increasingly using the Internet, mostly due to the wide availability and easy access of mobile devices.

Despite the obvious presence of a digital divide, the numbers are certainly improving. If you flip them on the head, the glass is even half full.