The number of online adults who have used online classified ads has more than doubled in the past four years. Almost half (49%) of internet users say they have ever used online classified sites, compared with 22% of online adults who had done so in 2005.
On any given day about a tenth of internet users (9%) visit online classified sites, up from 4% in 2005.
These are among the main findings of an April 2009 survey by the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project survey. They highlight the growing importance of such sites to internet users and reflect the changes in the audience for classified ads – both those who place them and those who make purchases – that have devastated a key revenue source for traditional newspapers.
Read the full report Online Classifieds on the & American Life Project's Web site.