By Luanne Teoh on 08-17-2011

A recent finding by Pew Internet found that 92% of online adults use search engines to find information on the web, out of which 59% do so on a daily basis. Email also receives its fair share of users and stands neck to neck with search with 92% of adults who use it and 61% who do so on a daily basis. It’s interesting to note that since the project began measuring adults’ online activity for the past decade from 2002, both search and email have consistently ranked as the most popular online activities.

Even though the measurements were primarily focused on email and search, the chart below shows that the highest growth rate is in social media with over 50% growth since 2005. Even as broadband, mobile devices and high speed WiFi continue to shape the American online landscape, email and search has remain the constant over the last 10 years. If anything, it probably has become more pertinent and habitual as our social network notifications all filter through to our emails.

The survey also found a direct correlation between income and search behavior. As the household income rises, so do search behavior online, suggesting that adults who attended college and made more money tended to make more use of search engines to find information compared to other adults.

The same correlation can be found between income and email usage. As household income rises, so does the use of email. Another indication that college graduates were the most likely to use email, as with adults with household incomes of $75,000 or more.

An interesting growth area since 2008 which the survey did not address is the growth of smartphones affecting overall email and search.

Charts courtesy of Pew Internet

About Luanne Teoh

Luanne is a senior correspondent for BizTechDay focused on Small Business Tech, Mobile and China based in San Francisco. Apart from a keen interest in technology, Luanne is also and avid explorer of the globe, cultures and people.

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