Internet Usage Climbs To Record High In October.
October 27, 2001
The Internet ratings report for the month of October 2001 from Nielsen//NetRatings revealed that Internet usage in the U.S. reached an all-time high, rising four percent in October and spiking 15 percent year-over-year to more than 115.2 million users (see Table 1). The four percent growth in Web usage is the largest increase seen in 2001.
Overall growth of the active Internet population swelled 15 percent during the past year. Surfers accessing the Internet at-home fueled the increase, jumping 14 percent to more than 103.7 million Internet users. The number of office workers logging online grew 11 percent in October to more than 40.1 million.
“The active Internet universe hit an all-time high in October, climbing four percentage points. This indicates that the overall health of the Internet is solid in spite of the current economic conditions and recent national events,” said Sean Kaldor, vice president of analytical services, NetRatings.
“Last year, from October to December 2000, we witnessed an 8 percent surge in Web users. If a similar trend appears again in the fourth quarter of this year, we are establishing a firm base for stable growth of holiday ecommerce traffic.”
Sixty-Two Percent of All Americans Have Internet Access
Three out of five, or 62 percent of all Americans had Internet access in October 2001, as compared to 57 percent last year (see Table 2).
Web usage continues to grow. Surfers spent more time online and logged onto the Internet more frequently in October as compared to last year. On average, Web surfers spent 19 hours online during the month of October, rising nearly nine percent from 17.5 hours the year prior. Americans are accessing the Internet more frequently, averaging 35 sessions in October. This is a six percent jump year-over-year from 33 sessions during the same time last year.
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