Parent and Teen Internet Use
About Us, Methodology
The Pew Internet Project is a non-partisan, non-profit research center that examines the social impact of the internet. It is part of the Pew Research Center and is funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts. Learn more about the Project at our website: http://www.pewinternet.org.
This report draws on the Parents & Teens 2006 Survey sponsored by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, which obtained telephone interviews with a nationally representative call-back sample of 935 teens age 12 to 17 years old and their parents living in continental United States telephone households. The telephone sample was pulled from previous Pew Internet Project surveys fielded in 2004, 2005, and 2006. Households with a child age 18 or younger were called back and screened to find 12- to 17-year-olds. The survey was conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International. The interviews were done in English by Princeton Data Source, LLC, from October 23 to November 19, 2006. Statistical results are weighted to correct known demographic discrepancies. The margin of sampling error for the complete set of weighted data is ±3.5%. Among online teens, the margin of error is ±3.6%. Among teens who have been contacted by an online stranger, the margin of error is ±6.3%. For the full survey, 46% of previously interviewed households who were contacted cooperated with this study.
Parents & Teens 2006 Survey
Final Topline, 12/01/06
Data for October 23 – November 19, 2006
Princeton Survey Research Associates International for the Pew Internet & American Life Project
Sample: n = 935 parents of 12-17 year-olds, 935 12-17 year-olds [886 online teens, 49 offline teens]Interviewing dates: 10.23.06 – 11.19.06
- Margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points for results based on all parents
- Margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points for results based on parents of online teens
- Margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points for results based on all teens
- Margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points for results based on online teens
[There are no questions 1-4]
Q5 Do you, personally, use a computer at your workplace, at school, at home, or anywhere else on at least an occasional basis?3. This is different from the number of teens who said during the teen portion of the survey that they go online [n=886].]
* Note on Dec. 2000 data4
** Note on Oct/Nov 2004 data5
Q6a Do you use the internet, at least occasionally?
Q6b Do you send or receive email, at least occasionally?6
Q16 About how often do you use the internet from…7
Based on parents who use the internet
Q19 In your household, do you happen to have any rules about any of the following things?
Q20 Do you happen to know if your child has a personal profile posted anywhere on the internet, like on a social networking site like MySpace or Facebook?
Q22 After your [AGE]-year old [boy/girl] has been on the internet, do you ever check to see what web sites (he/she) went to, or don’t you ever do that?
Q23 Overall, would you say that email and the Internet have been a GOOD thing for your child, a BAD thing, or haven’t they had much effect one way or the other?
GAD1 As I read the following list of items, please tell me if you, personally, happen to have each one, or not.
GAD7 Thinking about ALL of the information and communication devices we’ve talked about…Overall, would you say these devices make your life EASIER or make your life more COMPLICATED?
- Parents of online teens are those who said in a screening question that the target child goes online to access the internet or to send and receive email [n=790 ↩
- Dec 2000 trends based on the Pew Internet & American Life Project’s Parents, Kids and the Internet Survey, n=754 parents of online 12-17 year-olds and 754 12-17 year-olds who go online. ↩
- Oct/Nov 2004 trends based on the Pew Internet & American Life Project’s Parents and Teens 2004 Survey, n=1,100 parents of 12-17 year-olds, n=971 online 12-17 year-olds and 129 12-17 year-olds who do not use the internet. ↩
- Trend question prior to 2006 was “Do you ever go online to access the Internet or World Wide Web or to send and receive email?” ↩
- Trend question prior to 2006 was “How often do you go online from…?” ↩