Harris Interactive: Internet Users Now Spend 13 Hours Per Week Online

Even in the midst of holiday doldrums, the news is good.  Harris Interactive's new poll says that the new number of average time spent online per week per internet user has risen to 13 hours - and that half of adults have bought something online.

Harris Interactive noted that the increase in the number of hours spent online in the last two years compared with all previous years is striking and likely reflects a growing ability to use the internet, an increase in sites and applications, increased TV watching online and increased purchasing online. Hours online also may have increased because of the recession, since going online is, in many cases, more economical than going out.

About the poll: This Harris Poll was conducted by telephone within the US July 7-12 and October 13-18, 2009 among 2,029 adults (ages 18+). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region, number of adults in the household, number of phone lines in the household were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population.