Residential ISP Buying Behavior and Internet Usage Trends: A Survey of U.S. Consumers

Executive Summary

Methodology

Size of the Consumer ISP Market

The Wired, the Unwired and the Newbies

Gender: The Internet Breaks Even

Education

The Great Unwired: Barriers to Home Access

The Unimpressed

The Cost-Conscious

Wired at Work

Internet Panic

Discomfort with Computers ("My computer won't let me.")

Time

The Wired

How do Consumers Choose their ISP?

Company Reputation

Connection Availability

Geographic Coverage

Customer Service

Price

Internet Access Technologies

The Value-Adds: Consumer Online Behavior

Time spent online

Online activities

Appendix

List of Tables

Table 1: Total U.S. Households Accessing the Internet (1H 1999 and 1H 2000)

List of Figures

Figure 1 Percent of U.S. Households with and without Home Internet Access

Figure 2 Gender Breakdown of U.S. Households: Wired, Newbies and Unwired

Figure 3 Home Access Usage and Plans (By Gender)

Figure 4 Home Access Usage and Plans (by Education)

Figure 5 Primary Reasons for Remaining Offline

Figure 6 Obstacles to Getting Home Access: "No Need" or "No Interest" in the Internet (By Gender)

Figure 7 Obstacles to Getting Home Access: Cost of Access or PC (by Gender)

Figure 8 Impact of Familiarity with the Internet on Plans to Purchase Home Access

Figure 9 Obstacles to Getting Home Access: Safety Concerns (by Presence of Children in Household)

Figure 10 Obstacles to Getting Wired: Safety Concerns (by Gender)

Figure 11 Obstacles to Getting Home Access: Safety Concerns (Impact of Familiarity with the Internet)

Figure 12 Obstacles to Getting Home Access: Safety Concerns (by Education)

Figure 13 Obstacles to Getting Home Access: Discomfort with Computers (by Gender)

Figure 14 Obstacles to Getting Home Access: Discomfort with Computers (by Education)

Figure 15 Most Important Reason for Choosing ISP

Figure 16 Consumers citing company reputation as the most important reason for choosing ISP (by Age)

Figure 17 Consumers citing connection availability as the most important reason for choosing ISP (by Age)

Figure 18 Monthly Internet Access Fees: Current Subscribers and Newbie Expectations

Figure 19 Consumers citing price as the most important reason for choosing ISP (by Income)

Figure 20 Consumers Using Free ISP Services (by Income)

Figure 21 Consumers Using Free ISP Services (by Age)

Figure 22 Use of High-end ISP Services (>$25 month) (by Income)

Figure 23 Use of High-end ISP Services (>$25 month) (by Age)

Figure 24 Technologies used to Access the Web

Figure 25 Use of High-End Consumer Internet Access Technologies (>$25/mo) (by Household Income)

Figure 26 Use of High-End Consumer Internet Access Technologies (>$25/mo) (By Age)

Figure 27 Hours per Week Spent Online from Home PC (by Access Technology)

Figure 28 Hours per Week Spent Online from Home (by Monthly Access Fee)

Figure 29 Most Frequent Use of Internet

Figure 30 Socializing and Chat as Most Frequent Use of Internet (By Age)

Figure 31 Implementation of Value-Added Telephony Services by Current Internet Subscribers, Newbies and Unwired

Figure 32 Use of Portable Phones among Internet Access Subscribers

Figure 33 Percentage of Consumers with Home Internet Access (by Long Distance Provider)

Figure 34 Percentage of Consumers with Home Internet Access (by Local Provider)

Figure 35 Obstacles to Getting Home Access: No Need or Interest in the Internet (by Education)

Figure 36 Familiarity with the Internet (By Education)

Figure 37 Hours per Week Spent Online from Home (by ISP Type)

Figure 38 Hours per Week Spent Online from Home (by Gender and Marital Status)

Figure 39 Hours per Week Spent Online from Home (by Education Level)

Figure 40 Most Frequent Use of the Internet (by Marital Status)

Figure 41 Most Important Reason for Choosing ISP (By Gender)

Figure 42 Most Important Reason for Choosing ISP (By Education)

Figure 43 Most Important Reason for Choosing ISP (By Age)

Figure 44 Most Important Reason for Choosing ISP?" (By Income)

Figure 45 Most Frequent Use of Internet (By Age)

Figure 46 Most Frequent Use of Internet (By Gender)

Figure 47 Most Frequent Use of Internet (By Income)

Figure 48 Most Frequent Use of Internet (By Education)