• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, January 18, 2004

in the 85 metro markets surveyed by The Media Audit, the percentage of adults who spend at least an hour a day on the Internet is significantly greater than the percentage of adults who spend an hour a day with the print edition of a daily newspaper. In 2003, through the first 54 markets surveyed, 26.2 percent of the adults spent seven or more hours per week on the Internet.

According to Bob Jordan, president of International Demographics, Inc., "The growth of the Internet heavy user group becomes more significant when compared to other media heavy user groups," says Jordan. "While newspaper and television heavy user groups achieved minimal growth from 2001 to 2002 they actually declined as a percentage of the adult population surveyed.

Radio's heavy user group (180 minutes plus per average day) declined, as did the direct mail heavy user group (reads 3/4 of all received), says Jordan. During the same period the television heavy user group (300 minutes plus per average day) grew from 26,165,000 to 27,016,000.

More than 60 percent of Internet heavy users have household incomes of $50,000 or more and 50.4 percent have one or more college degrees. Of those who have heavy exposure to radio, 45 percent have household incomes of more than $50,000 and 28.4 percent have at least one college degree. For newspapers, 45 percent have household incomes of $50,000 or more and 38.9 percent have one or more college degrees. Among heavy users of television, 32.4 percent have household incomes of $50,000 or more and 20.8 percent have one or more college degrees. For heavy users of direct mail, 37.5 percent have household incomes of $50,000 or more and 26.2 percent have one or more college degrees.

Heavy Internet use varies among the 85 markets from a high of 35 percent of adults in Ann Arbor to 17.8 percent of adults in Dayton.

You can find out more in this pdf.