The overall demographic picture of online content purchasers is spelled out in Tables 1 through 4 below.  There are some notable findings:

·        Similar percentages of men and women internet users say they pay for online content in most of the examples we gave, with the exception of software, for which online men are more likely to purchase than online women.

·        There does not appear to be a racial divide among internet users associated with accessing online content, with whites and non-whites equally as likely to have purchased most forms of online content.

·        Internet users between the ages of 30-49 are the most likely to have purchased most kinds of content, compared with those who are younger or older.

·        The internet users who have college degrees or some college generally are more likely to purchase online content than internet users with a high school or less than a high school education.

·        There is also a correlation between income levels and paying for online content, with the internet users who live in higher-income bracket households more likely to pay for various kinds of content than those who live in lower-income brackets.

Concerning paying for music online, the internet users in the 18- 29 and 30-49 age groups are more likely to be online purchasers than those in the older age groups.  Also, those in the higher income households purchase music in significantly higher percentages than those in the lower income brackets.

For software, male internet users purchase software online in significantly higher percentages than female internet users. More internet users in the 30-49 age group buy online software than those in other age groups. The more educated and those in the highest income bracket purchase software in significantly higher percentages than those less educated and less well off internet users.

There is a nearly identical disparity with age and income among internet users concerning the purchase of apps.

With games, the only significant difference is related to age.  The internet users in the 18-29 and 30-49 age groups are more likely to be purchasers than those in the 50-64 and 65+ age groups.

Concerning newspaper, magazine, journal articles or reports, the internet users among college graduates and those in the $75K+ household-income bracket are more likely to be purchasers of this type of online content than internet users in other educational groupings and income brackets.

With online videos, movies, or TV content, internet users in 18-29 and 30-49 age groupings are more likely to be purchasers than those in the older age groupings.

For ringtones, internet users in 18-29 and 30-49 age groupings are content purchasers in significantly higher percentages than those in the older age groupings.

Concerning photos, internet users in household earning $75K+ and $50K-$75K are more likely to buy photos online than those earning less income.

For premium or members-only content on a website, those in the $75K income bracket were more likely to pay for this type of content than those in the lowest income bracket.

Concerning e-books, internet users in 30-49 age grouping paid in significantly higher percentages than those in any other age groupings.

With podcasts, again, internet users in 30-49 age grouping bought in significantly higher percentages than those in any other age groupings.

Focusing on the population that purchases tools, skills, or materials to use in online games, those in the 64+ age group do so in significantly smaller percentages than those in some other age groupings. Those in the $50K-$75k household-income brackets paid for this type of content more than those in the lowest income grouping.

For “cheats” or codes to help in playing online games, a higher percentage of internet users in 30-49 age paid for this type of content than those in any other age groupings. Internet users with a high school education or less also purchased this online content in significantly higher numbers.

With paying for a website or online service, such as a dating site or service, the online Americans in the 18-29 age bracket and 65+ group do so in significantly lesser percentages than those in other age groupings.

Internet-using males are more likely to report paying for adult content and other types of online content than females.