They aggregate and compare statistics. They visualize the trends on line graphs and bar charts. The Census Bureau and a legion of academic researchers confirm each other's key trends. Then an organization's own market research can focus the aggregates to identify and characterize target customers. Because digital information can be stored forever, searched, filtered, and compared, the Internet provides an unprecedented opportunity.
Marketers can study online populations and target customers with pinpoint accuracy.
The Web, measured since its beginnings in the early 90s, has accumulated a statistical base that is getting large enough to start showing trends. Continuing to compare them to traditional demographics further confirms the trends. You will find answers to all the questions below on NUA's survey pages. In fact, you will find several answers, none of which is the correct one. However, they tend to confirm each other within a certain range.