Now an estimated 75% of American adults surf the Internet.

The National Multi Housing Council just announced the Internet is the primary tool consumers use to find apartments. Here's what else they do online.

What American Adults Do Online

Send or read e-mail

92

Use a search engine to find information

91

Search for a map or driving directions

86

Look for info on a hobby or interest

83

Look for health/medical info1

80

Look for information online about a service or product

81

Check the weather

78

Get travel info

73

Get news

71

Buy a product

66

Visit a local, state or federal government website*

66

Buy or make a reservation for travel

64

Surf the Web for fun

62

Go to a website that provides info or support for a specific medical condition or personal situation

58

Research for school or training

57

Watch a video clip or listen to an audio clip

56

Look for "how-to," "do-it-yourself" or repair information

55

Look up phone number or address

54

Do any banking online

53

Take a virtual tour of a location online

51

Do any type of research for your job

51

Watch a video on a video-sharing site like YouTube or Google Video

48

Look online for news or information about politics or the upcoming campaigns*

47

Look online for info about a job*

46

Get sports scores and info online*

45

Get info online about a college, university or other school you or a family member might attend

45

Download other files such as games, videos, or pictures

42

Get financial info online, such as stock quotes or mortgage interest rates

41

Send instant messages

39

Look for info about a place to live*

39

Read someone else's online journal, web log or blog2

39

Download computer programs from the internet

39

Pay bills online

38

Download music files to your computer

37

Upload photos to a website so you can share them with others online

37

Get financial info online, such as stock quotes or mortgage interest rates

36

Look for information on Wikipedia

36

Look for religious/spiritual info

35

Send or receive text messages using a cell phone

35

Play online games*

35

Listen to music online at a website

34

Rate a product, service or person using an online rating system

32

Use online classified ads or sites like Craig's list

32

Post a comment or review online about a product you bought or a service you received

30

Listen to a live or recorded radio broadcast online, such as a newscast, sporting event, or radio show

29

Pay to access or download digital content online*

28

Categorize or tag online content like a photo, news story or blog post

28

Search for info about someone you know or might meet

28

Participate in an online auction

26

Download video files to your computer

27

Share files from own computer w/ others

27

Research your family's history or genealogy online*

25

Log on to the internet using a wireless device

25

Download screensavers from the internet

23

Post comments to an online news group, website, blog or photo site

22

Chat in a chat room or in an online discussion

22

Share something online that you created yourself

21

Download computer games from the internet

21

Create content for the internet

19

Make a donation to a charity online

18

View live images online of a remote location or person, using a webcam

17

Use an online social networking site like MySpace, Facebook or Friendster*

16

Sell something online

15

Create or work on your own webpage

14

Create or work on web pages or blogs for others, including friends, groups you belong to, or for work

13

Make a phone call online*

13

Visit an adult website

13

Take a class online just for personal enjoyment or enrichment*

13

Participate in an online discussion, a listserv, or other online group forum that helps people with personal issues or health problems*

12

Download a podcast so you can listen to it or view it at a later time

12

Send or receive an invitation to a meeting or party using an online invitation service

12

Take a class online for credit toward a degree of some kind*

12

Create or work on your own online journal or blog*

12

Buy or sell stocks, bonds, or mutual funds

11

Take material you find online—like songs, text or images—and remix it into your own artistic creation

11

Go to a online dating website or other site where you can meet people online*

11

Create or use an avatar or online graphic representation of yourself, for example, in a virtual world such as Second Life*

6

Download or share adult content online

4

NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.