Changes in Computer Use: 2011 to 2021

The federal government has been tracking computer and internet use in the United States since the 1990s—the beginning of the internet era for the general public. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) partners with the Census Bureau to probe the public's use of computing devices by adding question about device ownership, use, and internet access to the Current Population Survey. The latest survey results, collected by the November 2021 Current Population Survey, found the great majority of Americans using the internet. 

Overall, 80 percent of the population aged 3 (yes, three) or older reported using the internet in the 2021 survey. The way the public accesses the internet has changed over the past decade. Here are the trends in device use among people aged 3-plus...

Use a smartphone

2021: 70%

2011: 27%

Use a laptop computer

2021: 49%

2011: 43%

Use a tablet computer

2021: 30%

2011:   6%

Use a desktop computer

2021: 28%

2011: 45%

Use a wearable

2021: 16%

2015:   1% (first year question asked)

Use a smart TV

2021: 48%

2011: 14%

Source: NTIA, New NTIA Data Show Enduring Barriers to Closing the Digital Divide, Achieving Digital Equity

Screen Time During the Pandemic

During the pandemic, the nation's teenagers spent most of their leisure time in front of a screen, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' American Time Use Survey. Before anyone starts tsk-tsking about the screen addiction of the younger generations, it is important to note that the nation’s oldest adults also spent most of their leisure time in front of a screen. 

 

On an average day during the months of May through December 2020, teenagers aged 15 to 19 enjoyed 6.40 hours of leisure time. The teens devoted 2.54 of those hours to watching television and another 1.88 hours to playing games and computer use for leisure—a total of 4.42 hours of screen time, or 69 percent of their leisure time on an average day in 2020. (Note: the category "playing games" includes board games as well as computer games.) The 69 percent share of leisure time teens devoted to screens was up from 61 percent during the same months of 2019. 

But wait. The oldest Americans—people aged 75 or older—spent an even larger 71 percent of their leisure time in front of a screen on an average day. With 8.05 hours a day of leisure on their hands in 2020, the 75-plus age group spent 5.20 hours watching television and another 0.51 hours playing games and computer use for leisure. (Note: While some of the game playing among older Americans is board games, computer games are increasingly popular in the oldest age group.) The 71 percent of leisure time the oldest Americans devoted to screens in 2020 was up from 66 percent during the same months of 2019.  

Source: Demo Memo analysis of the Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2020 American Time Use Survey

All of the Above

Among U.S. adults...

85% own a smartphone

77% own a desktop/laptop computer

77% have a broadband connection at home

53% own a tablet computer 

But how many Americans aged 18 or older have all of the above? It depends on their household income, according to a Pew Research Center survey...

Percent of U.S. adults who have "all of the above"

23% of those with household incomes below $30,000

42% of those with household incomes of $30,000 to $99,999

63% of those with household incomes of $100,000 or more

Source: Pew Research Center, Digital Divide Persists even as Americans with Lower Incomes Make Gains in Tech Adoption

Where Americans Get Their News

Digital devices are the news source for the great majority of Americans. Fully 86 percent of the public "sometimes" or "often" gets news from a smartphone, computer, or tablet, according to a Pew Research Center survey. The 60 percent majority "often" gets news from these digital devices. 

Percent getting news sometimes/often from...

Digital devices: 86%

Television: 68%

Radio: 50%

Print: 32%

Not only is digital the primary platform for getting news, but people prefer it that way. When asked which platform they prefer as a news source, 52 percent say digital devices, 35 percent say television, 7 percent radio, and 5 percent print.

Source: Pew Research Center, More than Eight-in-Ten Americans Get News from Digital Devices

High School Seniors Are Taking Fewer Risks—Sort of

In many ways, high school seniors are better behaved than they used to be. The results of the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) show fewer seniors engaging in a number of risky activities. The YRBSS has been tracking the behavior of middle and high school students every two years since 1991, surveying students in public and private schools across the country. Here's a comparison of the behaviors of high school seniors in 2019 with their counterparts in 2009 and 1999...

Percent of high school seniors who engaged in activity, 1999 to 2019

	2019	2009	1999
Drove after drinking*	7.8%	28.2%	37.2%
Currently smoke cigarettes*	9.0	25.2	42.8
Currently drink alcohol*	39.9	51.7	61.7
Currently use marijuana*	28.3	24.6	31.5
Ever had sexual intercourse	56.7	62.3	64.9
Currently sexually active**	42.3	49.1	50.6
Use a computer 3 or more hours per day for something other than school work***	45.5	21.2	–
Watch television 3 or more hours per day***	19.4	–	33.1

Note: – means data not available.

* In past 30 days

** In past 3 months

*** On an average school day

Many fewer high school seniors are smoking cigarettes, with the percentage of current smokers falling from 43 percent in 1999 to just 9 percent in 2019. But 40 percent of 2019 high school seniors reported using e-cigarettes in the past 30 days, making vaping almost as popular as cigarettes were two decades ago.

Many fewer high school seniors report driving after drinking, with the number falling from 37 percent in 1999 to just 8 percent in 2019. But the 59.5 percent majority of 2019 high school seniors say they have texted while driving in the past 30 days, a behavior that can be as dangerous as driving after drinking. 

Nearly half of high school seniors say they use computers (including smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, etc.) for something other than schoolwork for 3 or more hours a day on an average school day. But many fewer high school seniors are spending a lot of time watching television.

Source: CDC, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System 

Only 30% of Americans Use Desktop Computers

Fully 78 percent of Americans aged 3 or older used the internet as of November 2017, according to the latest government survey of computer and internet use—a supplement to the Current Population Survey, sponsored by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. The survey reveals ongoing changes in how we access the internet.

Desktop computers and broadband connections were once the primary way we went online. That's no longer the case. Today, the number of households connected to the internet through mobile data plans (88.9 million) surpasses the number connected to the internet through wired broadband service (85.3 million). The use of desktop computers has fallen behind smartphones, laptops, and even tablet computers.

Percent using computing device in 2017 (and 2011)
64% use a smartphone (43%)
46% use a laptop (43%)
34% use a smart TV (14%)
32% use a tablet (6%)
30% use a desktop computer (45%)
8% use a wearable device (NA)

As the variety of computer devices has grown over the years, more Americans are using multiple devices. In 2017, 62 percent of Americans reported used at least two different types of computing devices, up from 52 percent in 2013. The percentage who used three or more devices climbed from 32 to 42 percent during those years.

Source: NTIA, New Data Show Substantial Gains and Evolution in Internet Use

84% of Americans Are Digitally Literate

The 84 percent majority of Americans are digitally literate, according to a survey of Americans aged 16 to 65. Only 16 percent of the population is not digitally literate. These findings come from The International Assessment of Adult Competencies, sponsored by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The survey assessed the computer skills of a nationally representative sample of Americans, determining how many were able to use computers "to solve real-world problems such as purchasing goods or services, finding health information, and managing personal information and business finances."

The United States was just one of the 19 countries whose computer skills were assessed by the OECD. With a digital literacy rate of 84 percent, the U.S. beat the 19-country average of 77 percent. Among the countries, the Netherlands had the largest percentage of digitally literate (89 percent) and Poland had the smallest (50 percent). The U.S. ranks lower in digital literacy than Scandinavian countries, about the same as Canada, England, and Germany, and higher than Australia, Austria, Korea, or Japan.

Fully 74 percent of Americans aged 18 to 65 use a computer at work, the survey found, and 81 percent use a computer in everyday life. Of course digital literacy varies by demographic characteristic. Here are some of the biggest differences...

Education: Fully 95 percent of 18-to-65-year-olds with an associate's degree or more education are digitally literate versus 83 percent of high school graduates and 59 percent of high school dropouts.

Age: The youngest adults are the most literate. Fully 92 percent of 16-to-24-year-olds are digitally literate. The figure falls with age to a low of 72 percent among 55-to-65-year-olds.

Race and Hispanic origin: Only 65 percent of Hispanics are digitally literate. The figure is 78 percent among Blacks and 89 percent among non-Hispanic Whites. Asians were not identified separately but included in an "other" category along with American Indians and the multiracial. The digital literacy rate of the "other" group was 87 percent.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics, A Description of U.S. Adults Who Are Not Digitally Literate

Younger Adults Have More Laptop Computers

Households headed by people under age 35 have an average of 1.5 laptops per household—one for every two household members. This is a greater concentration of laptops than in any other age group, according to the Energy Information Administration's 2015 Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS). The RECS examines household ownership of a variety of electronic devices including televisions, computers, and smartphones.

Laptop computers per household member (and per household) by age, 2015
Under age 25:  0.52 (1.5)
Aged 25 to 34: 0.51 (1.5)
Aged 35 to 44: 0.40 (1.4)
Aged 45 to 54: 0.49 (1.4)
Aged 55 to 64: 0.48 (1.0)
Aged 65 to 74: 0.42 (0.8)
Aged 75-plus:  0.29 (0.5)

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Average Number of Televisions in U.S. Homes Declining