You're reading an older article from ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR. Some content, such as code-related information, may be outdated. Visit our homepage to view the most up-to-date articles.
ROUGHLY ONE-THIRD of U.S. households now subscribe to some type of broadband service, reports In-Stat, a Scottsdale, Ariz.-based market research firm. As broadband becomes more commonplace, Internet use is evolving with broader adoption of a variety of applications. Nearly half the respondents to a recent In-Stat consumer broadband survey telecommute, with the incidence even higher among high-income households.
In-Stat also found some significant differences in the ways various ethnicities use broadband. African American respondents have the highest adoption of gaming. Interestingly, there was a large variance in the incidence of Web camera usage. Asian respondents had the largest incidence of usage.
Other research found the following:
- Over half, 57 percent, of In-Stat survey respondents play games over the Internet.
- Of all Internet applications, online shopping will have the largest increase in usage over the next year.
- Younger respondents tend to have the heaviest application adoption, particularly those aged 18 to 24, in their adoption of gaming, video downloads and instant messaging. EC
