In addition to studying patterns of Internet use, the Digital Future study also explores the consequences of not being online.  The study found that 18 percent of Americans were not using the Internet in 2010.  We asked those non-users to share some of their experiences of digital exclusion.

In 2010, close to half of non-users (47 percent) reported being encouraged to go on the Internet – an increase for the second year in a row. The percentage who said that others had trouble contacting them because they were not online was also up for the second consecutive year (18 percent), though it did not reach the 20 percent registered in 2007.

The non-users who felt that they were excluded from communication among friends increased to 21 percent, up from 16 percent in 2009. Somewhat surprisingly, the proportion of offline Americans who felt disadvantaged in obtaining information for hobbies, studies, or work continued declining for a third straight year, reaching 21 percent in 2010.
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Views about not being online
(Internet non-users)

views-about-not-being-onlin

 

For the full report of 2010 findings, visit here.

Visit the Web Insight Archive.