INTERNET USE ON THE RISE
By Adnews Staff
The number of Internet users over the age of 16 in Canada and the U.S. has risen 36% to 79 million, according to a study done by Nielsen Media Research and CommerceNet, both of New York. Last September, 58 million individuals used the Internet. The number of people shopping on the Internet has jumped 37% to 20 million. For the first time, more than 50% of the population between the ages of 16 and 34 are Internet users. Seventeen per cent of people aged 50 and over use the Internet, with the number of users in this age group growing at about the same pace as the Internet population 16 and over. About 43% of Internet users are women, while 64% of men are Internet shoppers and 71% are purchasers. Nielsen and CommerceNet have conducted studies on the use of the Internet for shopping and purchasing since 1995. This survey is based on telephone interviews with randomly selected respondents over the age of 16. CommerceNet is a non-profit industry association for companies promoting and building electronic commerce solutions on the Internet. It was launched in 1994 and has a membership of more than 500 companies and organizations.