Households with annual incomes of $75,000 or greater are more likely than those with lesser annual incomes to have high-speed Internet access at home and own Internet-ready devices, according to Pew Internet & American Life Project. Nearly all higher-income Americans (95%) use the Internet, and 87% have broadband access from home. Those numbers drop to 57% and 40%, respectively, among those with annual household incomes of less than $30,000.
Whereas Internet use and broadband access drops off significantly among lower income households, cell phone penetration does not:
• 95% of those in households with annual incomes of $75,000 or greater have a cell phone, as do
• 93% of those in households with annual incomes of $50,000 to $74,999;
• 90% of those in households with annual incomes of $30,000 to $49,999; and
• 75% of those in households with annual incomes of less than $30,000.
Those with higher incomes go online more frequently. More than half of those with annual household incomes of $75,000 or more (55%) go online from home several times a day, compared to 44% of those in the $50,000 to $74,999 income range, 42% in the $30,000 to $49,999 income range, and 31% in the less than $30,000 income range.
Those in the highest income bracket are the most likely to research products online (88%), make travel reservations (83%), buy products online (81%), use online banking services (71%), pay bills online (71%), and use online classifieds (60%).
Source: “Use of the Internet In Higher-Income Households,” Pew Internet & American Life Project, Jim Jansen, Senior Fellow, 1615 L St. NW, #700, Washington, DC 20036; 202-419-4500; jjansen@acm.org; www.pewinternet.org. Price: Available online at no charge.
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