Americans Spend 30 Percent of Leisure Time Online

Internet users in the U.S. spent about 30 percent of their leisure time online in 2008, according to a study conducted by TNS Global.

The U.S. ranked fifth worldwide, following China (44 percent), South Korea (40 percent), Japan (38 percent) and Italy (31 percent).

Spain (29 percent) was sixth, followed by Australia (29 percent), Canada (28 percent), France (28 percent) and the U.K. (28 percent) to round out the top 10.

Overall, Internet users worldwide spent an average of 30 percent of their leisure time online in 2008.

A study conducted last February by the USC Annenberg School Center for the Digital Future found that time spent online at home by U.S. Internet users rose rapidly in 2007 to 15.3 hours per week. This reflected a 71.9 percent increase from the 8.9 hours per week spent online in 2006.

High rates of unemployment may amplify this upward trend in 2009 and beyond.


Source:
http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?id=1006869