We are so spoiled in the U.S. that when we hear that 15% of the adult population over 18 do NOT use the Internet, we are shocked. That means roughly 35 million adults are not online.
Depending on who your business or nonprofit is targeting, there may be a good case here for multichannel marketing using digital AND traditional channels. Take a look at the reasons people give from the recent Pew Internet Project study:
- 34% of non-internet users think the internet is just not relevant to them, saying they are not interested, do not want to use it, or have no need for it.
- 32% of non-internet users cite reasons tied to their sense that the internet is not very easy to use. These non-users say it is difficult or frustrating to go online, they are physically unable, or they are worried about other issues such as spam, spyware and hackers. This figure is considerably higher than in earlier surveys.
- 19% of non-internet users cite the expense of owning a computer or paying for an internet connection.
- 7% of non-users cited a physical lack of availability or access to the internet.
According to the study’s summary, these non-users still benefit from the Internet in other ways. But, I’ll add, it is unlikely to help you reach them online directly.
- 44% of offline adults have asked a friend or family member to look something up or complete a task on the internet for them.
- 23% of offline adults live in a household where someone else uses the internet at home, a proportion that has remained relatively steady for over a decade.
- 14% of offline adults say that they once used to use the internet, but have since stopped for some reason.
The prospect of these offline adults getting online in the near future? It’s pretty grim. When asked about it, just 8% say they would like to start using the internet or email, while 92% say they are not interested.
Most of these offline adults just don’t care about the Internet! Now, does THAT surprise you?
Here are more details from MarketingCharts:
