These are the major preliminary results of a new study that is the first assessment of the social consequences of Internet use based on a large, representative sample of American households, including both Internet users and non-users. The sample was of 4,113 adults in 2,689 households. This is an early trend that, as a society, we really need to monitor carefully. While a number of commentators have speculated about how the Internet might change people's daily lives, and some studies have looked at the use patterns of non-representative groups of Internet users, only a sample representative of households nationally allows analysts to make projections about future Internet usage and its likely consequences, the researchers say.
People spend more hours on the Internet the more years they have been using it.
A quarter of regular Internet users who are employed say the Internet has increased the time they spend working at home without cutting back at the office. Sixty percent of regular Internet users say the Internet has reduced their TV viewing, and one-third say they spend less time reading newspapers. The least educated and the oldest Americans are least likely to have Internet access, but when they do use the Internet, their use is similar to others' use. But the other 36 percent who use the Internet five or more hours a week do report significant changes in their lives. Method used The research methodology employed for this study produces a large, representative sample of all American households, not just current computer or Internet users.