E-mail is the most popular online activity, and its use is still growing, according to a survey from Mediamark Research & Intelligence (MRI).

Almost three quarters of all U.S. adults used e-mail in the last 30 days, MRI reported. And that percentage grew by 5.2% compared with the prior fall.

In addition, 46% obtained late news online and 39.6% paid bills. That figure rose by 15.3% over last year.

But the fastest growth was seen in other areas. Downloading a TV program, though it is done by only 3.2% of those polled, grew by 141.4% over last year.

“We should not be surprised that relatively new activities such as downloading TV programs from the Internet have a lower overall usage,” said Anne Marie Kelly, senior vice president of marketing and strategic planning for MRI, in a statement. “What is interesting is that virtual activities—including mainstream ones such as using e-mail—have shown growth in the past year. In fact, just about one-half of the highlighted activities have enjoyed double-digit growth.”

Next in terms of growth was watching online videos—that percentage rose by 35.4%.

In other activities, 21.6% downloaded music, 19.9% obtained medical information and 11.4% made a purchase for business. In addition, 13.2% tracked or traded stocks, bonds or mutual funds.

Meanwhile, 11% visited online blogs and 4.3% wrote a blog post.

The top ten activities are:
Used E-mail 74.2% (+5.2)
Obtained the latest News 46.0% (+9.8)
Paid Bills Online 39.6% (+15.3%)
Made a Purchase for Personal Use 37.2% (+7.8%)
Used Instant Messenger 29.7% (+23.6%
Obtained Financial Information 28.3% (+9.6)
Obtained Sports News/Information 28.1% (+10.6%)
Shared Photos via Web Site 25.4% (N/A)
Looked for Recopies 24.8% (+24.8%)
Played Games Online 24.6% (+8.0%)