New York: One in five American households have never even sent an email. Astonishing isn't it? But that's the finding of a new survey by researchers at Parks Associates, the technology website cnet.com reported.

The telephone survey has yielded more startling facts about internet, computing and Americans.

About 20 per cent of American heads-of-households have never sent an e-mail. Half of them are older than 65 and nearly 56 per cent had no formal education beyond high school level.

At least 20 million households, or 18 per cent, are without internet. Seven per cent said they plan to subscribe to an internet service in the next 12 months.

About 21 per cent had never looked up a website or information on the internet. Nearly one out of three household heads has never used a computer to create a document.

"These data underscore the significant digital divide between the connected majority and the homes in the unconnected minority that rarely, if ever, use a computer," John Barrett, director of research at Parks Associates, said.