---
title: "Demographic Realities & Consumer Behavior Online"
description: "The base of the internet is broadening to include more people with less education than ever before, while older Americans are still overwhelmingly offline. Internet users who have experienced spyware act differently online from those who have not...."
date: "2007-01-25"
authors:
  - name: "Susannah Fox"
    job_title: "Former Researcher"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/susannah-fox/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2007/01/25/demographic-realities-consumer-behavior-online/"
categories:
  - "E-Commerce"
  - "Online Privacy & Security"
  - "Platforms & Services"
  - "Privacy Rights"
tags:
  - "Digital Divide"
  - "Safety"
---

# Demographic Realities & Consumer Behavior Online

The base of the internet is broadening to include more people with less education than ever before, while older Americans are still overwhelmingly offline. Internet users who have experienced spyware act differently online from those who have not. These differences are the context for a discussion of consumer behavior online.