Self-employed and full-time employed who do not have Internet access from home are split on all three main reasons. A plurality cite cost as the major barrier, with a further one in three who say that they have no interest. The balance — just over one in four — say they do not need Internet access at home.

Only among retirees do we find that a majority of respondents who do not have Internet access from home say that it is because they have no interest (50 per cent). The remaining retirees are split between the lack of need (28 per cent) and the cost (22 per cent).

The results from the 2000 survey show very similar patterns emerging. Although the levels of access have increased, both overall (60 per cent) and from home (51 per cent), the rate at which they increased is very similar from one employment group to the next. Students and full-time workers are still among the most likely Internet users, with the lowest levels of access found among retirees and homemakers. The 2000 data on Internet access from home reveal similar findings to 1999.

The sizeable (11-point) increase from 1999 to 2000 in the proportion of respondents who indicate they currently have Internet access from home has had a noticeable effect on the main reasons for no home access. That is, those who do not have home access are less likely to cite cost as the main barrier in 2000 compared with 1999.

There is a similar pattern in the overall responses in 1999 and in 2000. Cost is still the main barrier among respondents who are seasonal, term, casual or students. The most striking difference is the reduction in the number of unemployed respondents who say cost is the main barrier. While still a plurality at 47 per cent in 2000, it is nowhere near the 72 per cent who indicated cost as the main barrier in the 1999 survey.