Table 6.8 illustrates typical computer functions used by people in the workplace. Internet or e-mail was the most frequent use of a computer, used by 71.8% of all workers. Other computer functions used by more than half of workers were word processing (67%), spreadsheets and databases (62.3%), and calendar or scheduling programs (52.9%). The likelihood of computer or Internet use at work was much higher among more educated workers. While less than half of workers who did not have high school diplomas used computers at work, 80% of workers with college degrees used computers for Internet and e-mail access, as well as for word processing or desktop publishing.
Computers and the Internet offered vast new resources for people seeking new jobs, and 9.2% of the population
TABLE 6.9
| Job search activity using the Internet, by selected characteristics, September 2001* | |||||||||
| (Numbers in thousands) | |||||||||
| Total civilian noninstitutional population | Job search activity of persons who used the Internet to search for a job (percent) | ||||||||
| Characteristic | Total | Total who used the Internet to search for a job | Percent of total | Read on–line ads or searched on–line job listings | Researched information on potential employers | Submitted a resume or application | Posted a resume on a job listing site or with a service | Posted on resume on own Website | Other activities |
| *Refers to use of the Internet to search for a job "this year," that is, from January to September 2001. | |||||||||
| Note: The percentage of persons performing each activity may exceed 100 percent as persons may perform more than one activity. Detail for the above race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to totals because data for the "other races" group are not presented and Hispanics are included in both the white and black population groups. | |||||||||
| SOURCE: "Table 5. Job Search Activity Using the Internet by Selected Characteristics, September 2001," in Computer and Internet Use at Work in 2001, U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, October 2002, http://www.bls.gov/cps/ciuaw.pdf (accessed September 14, 2004) | |||||||||
| Age and sex | |||||||||
| Total, 16 years and over | 212,357 | 19,616 | 9.2 | 92.0 | 67.4 | 49.5 | 36.7 | 4.8 | 3.7 |
| 16 to 24 years | 35,195 | 4,415 | 12.5 | 92.3 | 63.2 | 45.9 | 35.6 | 4.8 | 2.7 |
| 16 to 19 years | 16,206 | 1,108 | 6.8 | 91.5 | 54.1 | 34.0 | 26.3 | 3.0 | 1.7 |
| 20 to 24 years | 18,990 | 3,308 | 17.4 | 92.5 | 66.2 | 49.9 | 38.7 | 5.4 | 3.0 |
| 25 years and over | 177,162 | 15,201 | 8.6 | 91.9 | 68.7 | 50.5 | 37.0 | 4.8 | 3.9 |
| 25 to 34 years | 37,032 | 6,238 | 16.8 | 92.3 | 70.7 | 52.9 | 42.2 | 5.5 | 3.5 |
| 35 to 44 years | 44,318 | 4,890 | 11.0 | 91.9 | 68.6 | 50.4 | 35.4 | 4.4 | 3.8 |
| 45 to 54 years | 38,642 | 3,051 | 7.9 | 91.3 | 66.2 | 48.9 | 32.5 | 4.3 | 4.4 |
| 55 to 64 years | 24,328 | 877 | 3.6 | 89.9 | 67.4 | 41.3 | 26.9 | 2.7 | 5.4 |
| 65 years and over | 32,842 | 145 | .4 | 94.1 | 46.5 | 43.2 | 24.6 | 6.6 | 10.0 |
| Men | 102,110 | 9,700 | 9.5 | 91.5 | 71.5 | 53.4 | 40.5 | 5.9 | 3.8 |
| Women | 110,247 | 9,916 | 9.0 | 92.5 | 63.4 | 45.6 | 33.0 | 3.6 | 3.6 |
| Race and Hispanic origin | |||||||||
| White | 176,220 | 16,018 | 9.1 | 91.9 | 67.1 | 48.2 | 35.1 | 4.5 | 3.8 |
| Black | 25,644 | 2,396 | 9.3 | 92.3 | 67.1 | 52.9 | 41.5 | 5.5 | 3.2 |
| Hispanic origin | 23,288 | 1,377 | 5.9 | 89.2 | 67.7 | 47.0 | 36.6 | 5.8 | 2.4 |
| Educational attainment | |||||||||
| Total, 25 years and over | 177,162 | 15,201 | 8.6 | 91.9 | 68.7 | 50.5 | 37.0 | 4.8 | 3.9 |
| Less than a high school diploma | 27,484 | 402 | 1.5 | 88.8 | 58.2 | 38.9 | 30.3 | 4.6 | 1.9 |
| High school graduate, no college | 57,386 | 2,812 | 4.9 | 90.9 | 59.2 | 42.0 | 31.7 | 3.3 | 3.1 |
| Some college, no degree | 30,641 | 3,029 | 9.9 | 92.2 | 63.1 | 48.2 | 34.7 | 3.8 | 3.1 |
| Associate degree | 14,779 | 1,667 | 11.3 | 93.7 | 65.4 | 48.3 | 34.7 | 4.7 | 3.7 |
| College degree | 46,872 | 7,291 | 15.6 | 91.9 | 76.0 | 55.9 | 40.8 | 5.7 | 4.8 |
| Advanced degree | 16,283 | 2,390 | 14.7 | 91.6 | 77.8 | 55.6 | 39.3 | 6.4 | 4.8 |
used this resource in 2001, according to a Bureau of Labor Statistics survey. Educational level was again a significant factor in who used online job search resources. Sixteen percent of people with college degrees searched for jobs on the Internet, compared to 1.5% of persons with less than a high school diploma. Age was not a factor. Of those using the Internet to search for a job, a greater proportion of people age sixty-five and over (94.1%) searched online job listings compared to 92% of the total population. Among people who conducted Internet job searches, reading online job ads and researching employers was the most frequent activity. Half of online job seekers submitted an application or resume electronically. (See Table 6.9.)
Computers in the Home
The proportion of households with computers grew from 8.2% in 1984 to 56.5% percent in 2001, according to Census Bureau data. While only 18% of homes had Internet access in 1997, 50.5% were Internet-linked in 2000. In 2001 married-couple households with children under eighteen were most likely to have a computer (78.9%) and Internet access (71.6%). Availability of a computer and Internet connections increased with the educational level of the householder and family income. Computers were found in 72.7% of Asian-American households compared to just 37.1% of African-American households. (See Table 6.10.)
How Children Spent Their Computer Time
A majority of children from ages five to seventeen used computers at home, but their use of the Internet increased significantly with age. About 25% of five-year-olds had access to the Internet compared to more than 75% of fifteen- to seventeen-year-olds, a U.S. Department of Education study found. (See Figure 6.4.) White, non-Hispanic children had the highest rate of computer use at home (77%) and at school (84%). While just 41% of African-American and Hispanic children used computers at home, African-American children had greater access to computers at school (80%) than Hispanic children (72%). (See Figure 6.5.)
TABLE 6.10
| Households with computers and Internet access, 2001 | ||||||||
| (In percent) | ||||||||
| Households with computers | Households with Internet access | |||||||
| Characteristic | Total | Rural | Urban | Central city | Total | Rural | Urban | Central city |
| *Non-Hispanic. | ||||||||
| SOURCE: "No. 1158. Households with Computers and Internet Access by Selected Characteristics, 2001," in Statistical Abstract of the United States, 2003, U.S. Census Bureau, 2004, http://www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/03statab/inforcomm.pdf (accessed September 15, 2004) | ||||||||
| All households | 56.5 | 55.6 | 56.7 | 51.5 | 50.5 | 48.7 | 51.1 | 45.7 |
| Age of householder: | ||||||||
| Under 25 years old | 51.1 | 41.3 | 53.0 | 50.9 | 44.7 | 33.5 | 46.7 | 45.3 |
| 25 to 34 years old | 62.5 | 61.5 | 62.8 | 57.5 | 57.3 | 55.4 | 58.8 | 53.9 |
| 35 to 44 years old | 69.9 | 71.2 | 69.4 | 62.1 | 62.6 | 62.3 | 63.4 | 54.3 |
| 45 to 54 years old | 66.9 | 68.0 | 66.4 | 59.9 | 60.9 | 61.1 | 61.3 | 53.4 |
| 55 years old or over | 39.1 | 38.0 | 39.5 | 35.5 | 33.9 | 32.1 | 35.0 | 29.9 |
| Householder race/ethnicity: | ||||||||
| White* | 61.1 | 58.0 | 62.4 | 60.0 | 55.4 | 51.0 | 56.8 | 54.8 |
| Black* | 37.1 | 31.5 | 37.7 | 33.9 | 30.8 | 24.4 | 30.9 | 27.4 |
| American, Indian, Eskimo, Aleut* | 44.7 | 37.6 | 49.5 | 38.7 | 31.4 | 41.5 | 44.1 | |
| Asian or Pacific Islander* | 72.7 | 69.4 | 72.8 | 67.4 | 68.1 | 68.2 | 64.1 | 63.1 |
| Hispanic | 40.0 | 36.6 | 40.3 | 38.1 | 32.0 | 29.9 | 32.6 | 29.8 |
| Household type: | ||||||||
| Married couple with children under 18 | 78.9 | 78.6 | 79.0 | 72.4 | 71.6 | 69.7 | 73.6 | 64.6 |
| Male householder with children under 18 | 55.1 | 53.6 | 55.6 | 51.8 | 44.9 | 39.9 | 47.2 | 44.3 |
| Female householder with children under 18 | 49.2 | 51.0 | 48.9 | 41.6 | 40.0 | 40.9 | 42.3 | 33.5 |
| Family households without children | 58.8 | 55.0 | 60.4 | 55.2 | 53.2 | 48.9 | 55.3 | 49.7 |
| Nonfamily households | 39.2 | 31.6 | 40.9 | 41.4 | 35.0 | 26.9 | 36.2 | 37.0 |
| Education of householder: | ||||||||
| Elementary | 6.0 | 13.4 | 17.1 | 16.9 | 11.2 | 10.4 | 11.6 | 11.5 |
| Some high school | 28.2 | 27.6 | 28.4 | 25.5 | 22.7 | 22.4 | 22.6 | 19.8 |
| High school graduate or GED | 46.5 | 50.0 | 45.0 | 39.0 | 39.8 | 42.1 | 39.3 | 32.5 |
| Some college | 64.5 | 68.5 | 63.2 | 58.4 | 57.7 | 60.2 | 57.3 | 52.0 |
| Bachelor's degree or more | 79.8 | 81.1 | 79.5 | 76.7 | 75.2 | 75.1 | 75.0 | 72.0 |
| Household income: | ||||||||
| Under $5,000 | 25.9 | 17.9 | 28.2 | 24.5 | 20.5 | 12.5 | 23.0 | 20.2 |
| $5,000 to $9,999 | 19.2 | 16.4 | 20.1 | 20.6 | 14.4 | 11.0 | 15.5 | 14.5 |
| $10,000 to $14,999 | 25.7 | 24.3 | 26.3 | 24.3 | 19.4 | 18.1 | 20.7 | 19.3 |
| $15,000 to $19,999 | 31.8 | 29.4 | 32.6 | 33.9 | 23.6 | 21.0 | 25.3 | 24.6 |
| $20,000 to $24,999 | 40.1 | 40.0 | 40.1 | 36.4 | 31.8 | 31.7 | 32.4 | 28.7 |
| $25,000 to $34,999 | 49.7 | 49.4 | 49.9 | 49.9 | 42.2 | 40.5 | 43.7 | 41.3 |
| $35,000 to $49,999 | 64.3 | 64.7 | 64.2 | 64.4 | 56.4 | 55.0 | 57.5 | 56.2 |
| $50,000 to $74,999 | 77.7 | 78.1 | 77.6 | 75.8 | 71.4 | 70.6 | 71.7 | 70.5 |
| $75,000 and over | 89.0 | 89.0 | 88.9 | 86.4 | 85.4 | 84.8 | 85.5 | 83.8 |
From ages five through fourteen children spent the greatest percentage of their computer time playing computer games. By ages fifteen through seventeen, the computer was used for completing school assignments (64.2%), connecting to the Internet (62.9%), and playing computer games (59.6%). Communicating with friends and family by e-mail increased with age, from 9.5% for ages five to seven to 57.7% for ages fifteen to seventeen. (See Table 6.11.)
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