Allconnect.com announces the results of a new survey that reveals a gap in internet knowledge among several key groups, and some dissatisfaction among those same groups as well. Older Americans made up one of the largest percentages of people who didn’t know their internet speed but were unsatisfied with what they had.
The survey, conducted on Allconnect’s behalf by YouGov, revealed that females (with 47% unaware of their speed vs. 25% of males), older Americans (45% of those 55+ vs. 34% of 35-54-year-olds and 26% of 18-34-year-olds) and those in lower-income households (36% of those with a household income under $40,000 vs. 30% of those in households earning $80,000 or more) were less likely to know their internet speed compared with males and households earning at least $80,000. These groups were more likely to signal dissatisfaction with the speeds they received than their counterparts and less likely to know the speeds they need for their online activities.
Additional findings include:
- 36% of Americans don’t know their home internet speed
- Only 19% of those who did not know their speeds, however, seemed dissatisfied with their service
- 45% of people aged 55+ do not know their internet speed and 23% of those were unhappy with the speeds they receive (vs. 17% of those 35-54 and 18% of those 18-34).
- Despite 47% of females reporting they didn’t know their internet speed, only 21% are dissatisfied with their service.
- 36% of those in low-income households (making under $40,000) don’t know their internet speed and:
- Only 20% of this group displays dissatisfaction about the speeds they receive.
- Of households making $80,000 or more, the percentage unaware of their internet speed is only 30%, and they tend to be more satisfied than low-income households (with 74% indicating satisfaction vs. 64% of those in households earning under $40,000)
- 73% of Americans don’t know how much internet speed they need
- 83% of women say they don’t know how much internet they need versus only 62% of men
- 74% of women aged 18-34 don’t know what they need versus only 40% of men the same age
- 85% of those aged 55+ do not know how much internet they need
- 90% of women age 55+ don’t know what they need; 80% of men the same age
- 76% of low-income households do not know how much internet speed they need
“Internet speed and satisfaction are closely tied together. Many times, most people only care if their internet service is reliable, not the specific speeds. These groups that do not know their speeds and are unsatisfied, however, are more vulnerable. Knowledge around internet speeds received and needed allows people to make informed purchasing decisions and get visibility into the reliability of the providers they have chosen,” said Robin Layton, editor at Allconnect.com.
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov plc. Total sample size was 1,214 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between May 14-17, 2021. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all U.S. adults (aged 18+).
The full report and methodology are here: https://www.allconnect.com/blog/internet-knowledge-disparity.
