Sweden is poised to add another notch to its mouse pad, as the country is expected to overtake the U.S. with the highest percentage of Internet users with 5 or more years of online tenure. Already the “Web-savviest” and the strongest IT nation, Sweden’s online population is predicted to be 85 percent “Super Net Vets” by 2007, while the U.S. falls behind at 72 percent, according to forecasts from Jupiter Research (a unit of this site’s corporate parent).
Jupiter’s definitions for the populations are:
- “Super Net Vets” have 5 or more years online tenure
- “Net Vets” have between 2 and 5 years online tenure
- “Intermediates” have between 1 and 2 years online tenure
- “Newbies” have less than 1 year online tenure
Spain is land of the newbies, with nearly one-quarter of its Internet population having less than 1 year of online experience, while Italy will experience the most significant loss in that category, dropping from 20 percent newbie in 2002 to 3 percent in 2007.
Germany will make the biggest shift in the intermediate category — falling from 21 percent to 4 percent — and Italy is the big gainer in the super net vets category when its 6 percent of the online population in 2002 swells to 66 percent in 2007.
| Online Population by Tenure | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newbies | Intermediate | Net Vets | Super Net Vets | |
| Sweden 2002: 2007: |
5% 2% |
8% 3% |
59% 10% |
28% 85% |
| U.S. 2002: 2007: |
10% 4% |
11% 5% |
41% 19% |
38% 72% |
| UK 2002: 2007: |
12% 3% |
13% 4% |
49% 18% |
26% 76% |
| Germany 2002: 2007: |
12% 3% |
21% 4% |
54% 21% |
13% 72% |
| France 2002: 2007: |
10% 7% |
18% 8% |
51% 30% |
10% 56% |
| Spain 2002: 2007: |
24% 8% |
19% 8% |
38% 28% |
18% 57% |
| Italy 2002: 2007: |
20% 3% |
20% 5% |
53% 26% |
6% 66% |
| Source: Jupiter Research | ||||
There are regional differences in U.S. online tenure, as an extensive study from the Pew Internet & American Life Project revealed that the Capital region (MD, VA, and DC) and the Pacific Northwest (OR and WA) led the country in having the highest percentage of Internet users who are online more than 3 years. The Midwest led with the highest number of newbies at 3.2 percent of their total Internet population.
| Online Tenure by Region, 2002 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Six months | 1 year | 2-3 years | More than 3 years |
Don’t know | |
| California | 2.6% | 6.6% | 20.7% | 69.5% | 0.4% |
| Mid-Atlantic PA, NJ, DE, NY |
1.6% | 4.7% | 24.9% | 67.4% | 1.3% |
| Industrial Midwest IL, IN, OH, MI |
1.0% | 7.7% | 23.1% | 66.6% | 1.5% |
| Mountain CO, UT, ID, NV, WY, MT |
2.8% | 3.3% | 20.4% | 71.4% | 2.1% |
| Capital Region MD, VA, DC |
0.9% | 5.0% | 17.8% | 73.7% | 2.6% |
| New England CT, MA, VT, RI, ME, NH |
2.8% | 4.7% | 25.4% | 65.2% | 1.9% |
| Border States TX, NM, AZ |
2.5% | 7.6% | 21.2% | 67.4% | 1.3% |
| South TN, AL, MS, LA, WV, KY, AK |
2.0% | 5.8% | 29.1% | 62.0% | 1.2% |
| Southeast FL, GA, NC, SC |
2.7% | 7.4% | 22.2% | 65.2% | 2.6% |
| Upper Midwest MN, ND, SD, WI |
1.2% | 7.9% | 21.5% | 67.6% | 1.7% |
| Midwest MO, NE, KS, OK, IA |
3.2% | 2.6% | 30.0% | 63.1% | 1.1% |
| Pacific Northwest OR, WA |
2.2% | 4.8% | 17.7% | 73.3% | 2.1% |
| NATIONAL | 2.1% | 6.0% | 23.2% | 67.1% | 1.5% |
| Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project | |||||
The Pacific Northwest also had the highest penetration of adults with Internet access, at 68 percent of the population, followed by New England with 66 percent, and California with 65 percent. The South landed at the bottom with 48 percent.
Tom Spooner, research specialist at Pew Internet & American Life Project, said there was a correlation between a region’s income and education levels and the number of Internet users.
Pew’s research — compiled from telephone interviews conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates through 2000, 2001, and 2002 — revealed that California, the Capital region and New England had the largest populations of wealthy, highly educated people, while the South’s levels were comparatively lower.
The report notes that the Mountain states and the Pacific Northwest are notable exceptions, with large Internet user populations and proportionally fewer people with high household incomes and college degrees.
