Pew report: Nearly two-thirds of Internet users pay for content

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Not all Internet users expect to get something for nothing -- at least not all the time, according to a report released Thursday by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project.

Nearly two-thirds -- 65% -- of the 755 users surveyed said they had paid to download or access some type of online content, with music and software being the most frequently purchased items.

Thirty-three percent of respondents said they had paid for digital music and software, respectively. Other frequently purchased items included apps for cellphones and tablet computers, with 21%; digital games with 19%; news articles with 18%; and videos, movies or TV shows, with 16%.

Only 2% of users admitted to paying for adult content.

However, the typical user wasn’t breaking the bank: most spent about $10 per month, the survey found, although some high-end users pulled the average up to $47.

Users between the ages of 30 and 49 were most likely to purchase most types of content (with the exception of games), as were users with a college degree and those in higher income brackets.

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-- Abby Sewell