U.S. broadband booms, but impacts lag

The number of Internet users in the U.S. has jumped since last year, but the Internet's impact on some aspects of users' lives hasn't grown that much since 2001, according to results of a survey published Wednesday.

In the survey, conducted Feb. 15 to April 6 by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, showed that 73 percent of respondents are Internet users, up from 66 percent in a January 2005 survey. The results indicate 147 million adults use the Internet, up from 133 million at the time of the last survey.

Broadband penetration in U.S. homes has grown even more. The share of users who have broadband at home is 42 percent, up from just 29 percent in January 2005. About 84 million U.S. residents have broadband at home, compared with about 59 million in the earlier study.

However, other results of the survey indicate users aren't getting as much out of the Internet as the growth in users might suggest. In the latest survey, 35 percent of respondents said the Internet has greatly improved their ability to do their jobs. But since March 2001, that share hasn't grown by even half: In a survey at that time, 24 percent of the Internet users gave that response.

Also since March 2001, the percentage of Internet users that say it has greatly improved the way they pursue hobbies and interests has grown to only 33 percent from 20 percent. Health Web sites have had even less impact: Whereas 17 percent of users in 2001 said the Internet has greatly improved the way they get information about health care, 20 percent said so in the latest survey.

Shopping has had a bigger impact, but fewer than one-third of users find the Internet a big boon in that area. In the latest survey, 32 percent of users said it has greatly improved their ability to shop, up from 16 percent in March 2001.

The resources and services available on the Web have exploded since 2001, but at the same time it's become harder to make an impression on users, said Mary Madden, a research specialist at Pew, in Washington, D.C. In March 2001, 57 percent of adults in the U.S. were online.

"In 2001, what was available seemed amazing to that group of people," she said.

Also, occasional users may not know about things on the Internet that could change the way they live, Madden added. Daily users are much more likely to report a major impact on the way they do things, according to Pew. Some uses, such as looking for information on a health problem, haven't been relevant for many users, Madden added.

Internet use is still much more common among wealthier than lower income people in the U.S., the survey showed. Only 53 percent of adults in households with annual income under US$30,000 are online, compared with 91 percent of those in households with incomes over $75,000. However, the gap is narrowing, Madden said.

"Much of the growth that has occurred in the past year alone has come from low-income groups," she said.