---
title: "Don’t Use the Internet"
description: " One-in-five American adults do not use the internet."
date: "2010-08-12"
authors:
  - name: "Russell Heimlich"
    job_title: "Former web developer"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/russell-heimlich/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2010/08/12/dont-use-the-internet/"
---

# Don’t Use the Internet

While it may be unimaginable to anyone reading this online, one-in-five American adults (21%) do not use the internet. Among the non-internet users, a third (34%) have some relationship with the online world. This includes living in a home with an internet connection or having used the internet at some point in the past. The rest have no connection to the World Wide Web. As for why non-users are holding out on the internet, nearly half (48%) say they are too busy or simply not interested. Another 21% are concerned about the price while 18% cite usability concerns (too difficult, don’t know how). Americans not online also have little interest in logging on. Just one-in-10 non-users say they would like to start using the internet in the future. [Read More](https://www.pewresearch.org/pubs/1694/broadband-adoption-slows-dramatically-except-african-americans-little-interest-among-non-users)