• by Ross Fadner , January 11, 2005

Affluent young adults between the ages of 25 and 34 are more familiar with--and dependent on--the Internet than other online consumers, which leads them to engage in a broader range of online activities, according to a report from JupiterResearch.

The report, "Young Affluents Online," finds that young adults who earn more than $75,000 a year use the Web, on average, 43 percent more than the average online consumer for Web browsing, entertainment and media consumption, shopping and e-commerce, and other online activities. Their less prosperous counterparts between the ages of 25 and 34 use the Web the same amount as average online consumers in all age groups, according to the report.

Report author, JupiterResearch Research Director Vikram Sehgal, said the young, well-heeled Web users are more engaged with the Internet because they're more accustomed to it than average consumers and their peers. According to the data, 84 percent of young moneyed adults have been using the Internet for five years or more, compared to 51 percent of online consumers and just 44 percent of young adults earning less than $75,000 per year. "We've seen that tenure plays a key part in Internet activity adoption," Sehgal said.

Young, prosperous online consumers are also more likely to have high-speed Internet access at home. Fifty-five percent have broadband access at home, according to the report--compared to 33 percent of all online consumers, and 30 percent of young adults. Young affluents also tend to believe more in the inherent value of Internet access: 65 percent said the Internet makes them more efficient, versus 43 percent of online consumers and young adults.

Jupiter's Sehgal correlated widespread adoption to the fact that nearly three-quarters (72 percent) of young adults who earn more than $75,000 are male. "Men are much more open to the idea of new technology than women are," he said, because they have the "desire" to learn about and adapt to new technologies. The report pegs the online population overall at 49 percent male, and less affluent online young adults at 57 percent male.

Sehgal added that the Web is "absolutely" more than a utility to these young affluents. He said they also use the Web as a primary source of entertainment and media content, as well as to shop, communicate, and take care of financials.

In particular, finance-related usage among young affluents was disproportionately higher than among young adults in general. Adults ages 25-34 who earn $75,000 and more are 66 percent more likely than the average consumer to use the Web for their financial activities. By comparison, their less wealthy counterparts are 12 percent less likely than the average online consumer to use the Web for finance-related activities.

The JupiterResearch online survey queried 3,730 online consumers about their Web usage habits. The data was parsed into 197 affluent and 613 less affluent young adults between the ages of 25 and 34. According to Jupiter, the sample is representative of the overall U.S. population.