Fully 45% of American adult internet users and 57% of online teenagers have used the internet when they search for colleges or other schools to attend. Older teenage girls are the most likely to do this: 79% of online teenage girls ages 15-17 have used the internet to search for schools or colleges. Surveys of adults in January and of teenagers last fall show that many internet users know they can find information online about the schools they are scouting for themselves or family members. In both surveys, it is the first time that the Pew Internet & American Life Project has asked this question directly in its ongoing tracking of internet use, so there are not previous data to use to compare these findings to the past. Here are some of the statistical findings: From survey of teenagers – survey conducted October 26 – November 28, 2004 of 1,100 persons ages 12-17 with a margin of error of plus or minus three points. The question was: “Please tell me if you ever go online to get information about a college, university, or other school you are thinking about attending.”
From survey of adults – conducted January 13 – February 9, 2005 of 2,201 persons ages 18 and older, including 1,421 internet users. The internet sample has a margin of error of plus or minus three points. The question was: “Do you ever use the internet to get information about a college, university or other school you or another family member is thinking about attending?”