Most Offline Adults Prefer It That Way

The vast majority of the 15 percent of adult Americans who aren’t online aren’t interested in joining the rest of us, a study released Wednesday by the Pew Internet and American Life Project found.

About 92 percent of those offline adults said they had no interest in using email or surfing the Internet in the future, Pew found, while 8 percent said they’d like to give the Internet a try.

The research foundation has delved heavily into Americans’ online habits but less into what keeps offline Americans offline. In addition to the 15 percent of Americans who are totally offline, Pew found another 9 percent used the Internet only at work or elsewhere outside the home.

About 63 percent of offline adults said they’d need help if they started using the Internet today, the study found.

Asked why they aren’t online, about one-third of Pew respondents said there was nothing on the Internet that was relevant to them. One-third said the Internet was too difficult to use and 20 percent said it was too expensive.

About 14 percent of offline adults said they once used the Internet but stopped for some reason. 

(Image via Chepko Danil Vitalevich/Shutterstock.com)