65% of US internet users buys content online

Two out of every three Americans who surf the web, has bought online content last year. Most popular were digital music and software, although half the buyers had only acquired something from only one of these categories. Furthermore, it appears people tend to stick to one preferred way of consuming content: either downloading, or streaming.

These trends emerge from research done by the Pew Research Centre. Slightly over 1000 people were surveyed, 75% of which had access to the Internet (a figure that is representative for the American population).

The average monthly content allowance was 47 dollar, although outliers greatly influenced this average figure. The median, the figure that occured most often, is 10 dollar a month.

Women have a similar purchasing behaviour as men do, deviating no more than 2 or 3 percent in most categories. Rich and highly educated respondent buy more and more often. The age  bracket of 30-49, finally have the optimal (for content seller, at least) combination of financial security and interest: they are the biggest buyers.

Source: Ars Technica