E-mail usage in the United States - Statistics & Facts
As of January 2022, 92 percent of the digital population in the United States reported using e-mails as a form of communication, with this tool presenting a higher penetration rate than social media and other online messaging apps, used by 83 percent and 67 percent of all U.S. users, respectively.
User behavior: Free time usage vs. work life
While today’s internet users can choose from a broad range of online networking options such as IM or social media, e-mail continues to defy its predicted demise: It has become a new type of digital currency, as valid e-mail addresses now function as virtual keys that unlock access to online services such as banking and shopping. The use of e-mails for work in the United States was the highest among users aged between 25 and 56 years old, while only 53 percent of Gen Z users - who are starting their first steps into their working lives - reported using e-mails to exchange information and communicate at work. Around six in ten U.S. Millennials reported using e-mails for online shopping, while corresponding with family and friends was indicated as the main activity for users in the Silent Generation (aged between 76 and 93 years). Users aged 45 and above represented the main consumers for e-mail news, while six percent of users aged between 35 and 44 years reported using e-mails as their main way of accessing news online. E-mails about promotions and discounts were the most likely to be opened by online shoppers, while only 20 percent reported opening e-mail invitations to leave an online review for products they recently bought.As the COVID-19 effects leave space to a hybrid work culture, many companies have been asking their employees to come back to the office full time. According to a survey of office workers carried out in the United States, 34 percent of on-site employees preferred to communicate via in-person conversations as of March 2023, while remote workers preferred e-mails. E-mails were also the preferred communication channel to contact customers, with 41 percent of Millennials and 35 percent of Gen Z employees in the United States reporting using primary this communication channel to contact customers of the business they owned or managed.
Spam and online safety
Seeing their acquired importance in users’ lives, malicious actions targeting e-mail accounts have become more sophisticated and aggressive. As of January 2023, approximately eight billion spam e-mails were sent in the United States, making it the country with the highest volume of spam e-mails sent on daily basis. Spam or junk e-mails carry several potential threats, including phishing scams and online frauds. In 2022, 19 percent of all frauds reported to the Federal Trade Commission in the United States took place via e-mail, costing consumers 420 million U.S. dollars in financial damages during the year.Under these premises, correct account management and the use of secure passwords are essential for users to protect an important part of their digital lives and identities. Only 30 percent of respondents reported having changed their e-mail password within the previous month, while six percent of all U.S. respondents reported having never changed their e-mail passwords. Password managers, which help users create, remember, and change their verification systems seamlessly, have become more popular in recent years. In 2022, Google password manager service was the most used in the United States, while freemium subscription service LastPass went from being used by 23 percent of respondents in 2021 to nine percent the following year.