• by Wendy Davis , Staff Writer @wendyndavis, July 3, 2007

With more and more content migrating online, broadband penetration is continuing to surge. Seven in 10 Americans who go online from home now connect via high-speed lines, according to a new report by the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

What's more, almost half, 47%, of all Americans now have broadband at home, up from just 30% just two years ago. Another 15% connect at home via dial-up lines, and a handful say they only go online from work. Around 29% don't use the Internet at all.

The study, based on a telephone survey of 2,200 adults, also confirmed that home broadband lines are especially popular with users who are white, young, affluent and educated. But some of the disparities between those demographics and others are shrinking. For instance, 48% of white users now report a home broadband connection, compared to 40% of black users. But two years ago, that divide was far greater: 31% of white users, compared to 14% of black users.

When it comes to age, there's still a big gap between users under 50 and those who are older. Sixty-three percent of users aged 18-29 now have home broadband lines, as do 59% of users 30-49, up from 38% and 36% two years ago. Just 15% of users older than 65, and 40% of users 51-64 have high-speed lines at home, up from 8% and 27% two years ago.