Internet user surfs the web for an average of 13 hours weekly

The American research agency Harris Interactive has calculated that adult Americans have spent an average of 13 hours online this year. This is almost double the amount of time (7 hours) that was spent surfing the web in 1999. Half of the respondents has bought something online in the last month.

In the survey, both Internet use at home and at work were included. Email, however, was not counted.

Harris conducts such surveys every year since 1995. This year, over 2000 people participated. Around the change of the millennium, from 1999 through 2002, it was stable at around 7 hours per week. The years after that it slowly increased. From 2007 onward, the incline became steep. Last year, in 2008, the average weekly time budget spent on the Internet was even one hour more than this year.

Harris suspects that the recession plays a part in the rapid increase from 2007 onward. Internet is free, after all, while going out can be costly.

Of course, individual differences are great. 20% of the respondents only spends 2 hours or less online. One in seven people surfs the web for over 24 hours a week.