NEW YORK - If you bought your floor tiles and paint online, chances are you you’re married with children. The latest Nielsen/NetRatings@Plan Fall 2003 shows that married people are more likely to make e-commerce purchases (52 per cent) than their single counterparts (47 per cent).

The top five purchases among married people were:

• Prescription drugs
• Home improvement goods
• Educational computer software
• Gardening tools and supplies
• Toys and non-computer games

In comparison, single people liked to shop for:

• Student loans
• Credit cards
• Video games
• Gaming computer software
• Music CD’s and tapes

“When children are worked into the equation for oft-overly extended married individuals, the convenience of online shopping can’t be beat,” said Jason Levin, Internet analyst for Nielsen/NetRatings. “For married surfers, the Web seems to be a far more functional rather than recreational resource.”

While married people were more likely to use e-commerce, single people spent more time online. The poll found that this group spent over 46 minutes online each month, 70 per cent higher than their married counterparts. Single people also viewed more pages at 113 each month, 216 per cent more than married users.

The most popular sites for single users revolved around dating and personal ad services, with seven of the top ten sites visited relating to this area. Married users liked to visit family or child-oriented sites most of the time, with six of their top ten sites falling into this category.