Nearly every PC family is now online, Yankee reports

Nearly every family--93%--that owns a PC is linked to the Internet, according to the Boston-based Yankee Group`s annual Technologically Advanced Family Survey. The top three uses for home PCs are online services/Internet access, cited by 76% of PC-owning families, games/entertainment (58%), and personal/household finances (30%). 65% of American homes have PCs, Yankee says. And 25% say online shopping/stock trading is important.

In addition, the online population is becoming more experienced, Yankee says. Of PC owners who have Internet access, 83% have been online for over a year; 40% of those users have been online for one to three years, and 43% have been online for over three years.

"These results indicate that a vast majority of consumers are incorporating the online channel into their daily activities, ranging from providing entertainment content to tracking household finances," said Lisa Melsted, analyst for the Yankee Group`s Internet Market Strategies research and consulting practice.

The Yankee Group has conducted the Technologically Advanced Family Survey for more than 10 years to measure the demand for a broad assortment of communications products and services.