20% of American Households Have Never Sent Email

According to a study by Parks Associates, a significant amount of Americans are not embracing technology; One-fifth of Americans have never sent an email, 30 per cent have never created a document on a PC and 21 per cent have never used the Web. Digital Journal -- An annual phone survey of U.S. households has revealed 20 million homes, or 18 per cent of all American homes, lack Internet access. Furthermore, about 20 per cent have heads-of-household who have never sent an email. “Nearly one out of three household heads has never used a computer to create a document,” said John Barrett, director of research with Parks Associates. “These data underscore the significant digital divide between the connected majority and the homes in the unconnected minority that rarely, if ever, use a computer.” And in case you want to stereotype age or education as factors, here is your fodder: The study reports 50 per cent of those who have never used email are older than 65 and 56 per cent had no education beyond high school.

Courtesy Parks Associates

A graph from a National Technology Scan, a forthcoming study from Parks Associates, shows trends in Internet use.

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The study has noted an increase in the number of houses getting connected compared to findings in previous years, but notes that only 7 per cent of the 20 million Internet-less homes plan to get a connection in the next year. National Technology Scan, the forthcoming study from Parks Associates, said as much as 29 per cent of Americans (31 million homes) lived in disconnected homes in 2006 because they believed the Internet did not offer much value. “Internet connections have slowly increased in U.S. households, but getting the disconnected minority online will continue to be difficult,” Barrett said. “Age and economics are important factors, but the heart of the challenge is deeper. Many people just don’t see a reason to use computers and do not associate technology with the needs and demands of their daily lives.”