In yet another sign that the Internet has become more pervasive, a quarter of adult users have logged on outside the traditional settings of home or work.
Some are lower-income Americans who have no other choice but to do their Web surfing in schools or libraries. But many are younger adults who are "moving toward this anytime, anywhere access," said Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Internet and American Life Project, which conducted the study.
Beside work and home, the most popular places for logging on are friends' or neighbors' homes, schools and libraries. Less common are from a relative's house, Internet cafes and churches.
Only 3 percent say they exclusively use a location other than work or home, but 28 percent of those earning less than $30,000 cited such a location as an access point.
About half of those age 18 to 24 log on outside home or school, although that includes college students. Removing school usage, the 25-34 age group was most likely to use "other places."
The results are based on various random surveys conducted by telephone from May 2002 to December 2003. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.