Study Finds Increased Internet Use in U.S.

A new study by the Nielsen Company found an increase in the use of and time of use of the Internet in the United States. The study found that 160,069,000 Americans 2 years and older used the Internet monthly in the third quarter of 2008, an increase of 4.2 percent from the third quarter 2007. The study also found that the average American 2 years or older spent 27:18 hours a month on the Internet in the third quarter of 2008, up 5.7 percent from third quarter of 2007. The amount of time spent on the Internet by age was: 5:38 hours for 2-11 years old, 12:48 hours for 12-17 years old, 12:59 hours for 18-24 years old, 28:40 hours for 25-34 years old, 37:56 hours for 35-44 years old, 35:24 hours for 45-54 years old, 35:05 hours for 55-64 years old, and 26:39 hours for 65 years and older. Finally, the study found the average American watch 2:31 hours of online video in the third quarter of 2008. The figures were calculated using Nielsen’s Internet panels, which are measured electronically.