Educational level:

• There has been a shift among all educational levels in the reasons cited for not having Internet access at home.
• Since 1997, cost, lack of interest and lack of need have grown in significance as barriers to Internet access.
• For respondents as a whole, by 2000, the main barrier to access has shifted from lack of need to cost, but lack of interest and need are only somewhat less important barriers.

Type of job:

• The level of overall Internet access by type of job reveals a deep divide between professional, managerial and administrative employees on one side, and labourers and trade people on the other side.
• Workers in sales, service and clerical jobs are close to the mean on the level of overall access from somewhere.
• Home access is highly concentrated among professional, management and administrative workers (‘white collar’), with all other categories (‘blue collar’) showing much lower rates of home usage.
• Overall, employment status (self-employed, employed full-time or unemployed) has little influence on whether a person is an Internet user (from somewhere).
• Not surprisingly, a majority of seasonal, term, or casual workers, as well as student and unemployed respondents cite cost as the main barrier to home Internet access.
• Among self-employed and full-time employed respondents without home Internet access, cost is the main barrier, followed by lack of interest, and then by lack of need.
• Full-time employees are the most likely Internet users, with the lowest levels of access among retirees and homemakers. Although not in an employment category, students are also highly likely to be Internet users.