Almost half of respondents to a HighSpeedInternet survey – 44.7% — said that their use of the Internet increased this year compared to last. Average internet usage was eight hours daily.
Ten percent of respondents said that their internet usage had decreased. The balance – 42.3% — said that use had remained about the same.
Usage doesn’t include “passive” activities such as streaming music for use in the background while performing other activities, HighSpeedInternet said. The average American spends about five hours per day streaming content such as music or podcasts, the survey found.
Attention spans vary: People who stream music or audio give it their full attention 38% of the time. Those who stream television and movies give it their full attention 58% of the time.
Average Internet Usage
Other findings:
- Most people say they prefer shopping in person. However, 75% always or frequently shop online before making a purchase.
- Sixty percent of people prefer using an online or digital alarm clock.
- The next most popular activities for online/digital approaches were shopping for tech products (47%) and using a calendar (45%).
- People like to shop in person for groceries (67%), home goods (50%) and clothes (48%).
- People like to pay bills (67%) and bank (61%) online. They like to visit their primary doctor (63%) and socialize with friends (58%) in person.
“The COVID-19 pandemic changed how people around the world approach work, school, entertainment, social interactions, and much more, company writer Peter Christiansen said in a press release. “Each of these changes also shifted the ways people use the internet in their daily lives.
The survey had 1,000 respondents.