Introduction
Firefox 1.5 (and other Gecko-based browsers) and later versions use fast Document Object Model (DOM) caching. JavaScript is only executed on page load from net or disk cache, but not if it is loaded from DOM cache. This can affect JavaScript-based tracking of browser statistics. This graph shows the market share of browsers in United Kingdom based on over 10 billion monthly page views. Now more simple, secure and faster than ever – with Google's smarts. The usage share of web browsers is the percentage (%) of viewers at a group of websites who use a particular web browser.For example, when it is said that Internet Explorer has 7% usage share (April 2018), it means that some version of Internet Explorer is used by nearly 7 of every 100 visitors who visit a given set of websites.
In August - September 2019, WebAIM surveyed preferences of screen reader users. We received 1224 valid responses. This was a follow-up to 7 previous surveys that were conducted between January 2009 and October 2017.
A few disclaimers and notices:
- Totals may not equal 100% due to rounding.
- Total responses (n) for each question may not equal 1224 due to respondents not answering that particular question.
- The sample was not controlled and may not represent all screen reader users.
- We hope to conduct additional surveys of this nature again in the future. If you have recommendations or questions you would like us to ask, please contact us.
Demographics
Region
Region | # of Respondents | % of Respondents |
---|---|---|
North America | 695 | 58.0% |
Europe/UK | 324 | 27.0% |
Asia | 69 | 5.8% |
Australia and Oceania | 34 | 2.8% |
Africa/Middle East | 35 | 2.9% |
South America | 36 | 3.0% |
Central America and Caribbean | 5 | 0.4% |
This survey had more respondents outside North America than previous surveys, thus providing better representation of the global screen reader user audience.
Age
Response | # of Respondents | % of Respondents |
---|---|---|
0-20 | 116 | 9.5% |
21-40 | 557 | 45.5% |
41-60 | 364 | 29.7% |
61+ | 188 | 15.3% |
Disability
Response | # of Respondents | % of Respondents |
---|---|---|
Yes | 1064 | 87.6% |
No | 150 | 12.4% |
In general, responses are very similar between respondents with and without disabilities. Any notable differences are detailed below to help us determine differences in practices or perceptions between the disability and the developer communities.
Disability Types
Response | # of Respondents | % of Respondents |
---|---|---|
Blindness | 930 | 76.0% |
Low Vision/Visually-Impaired | 226 | 18.5% |
Cognitive | 42 | 3.3% |
Deafness/Hard-of-Hearing | 74 | 6.0% |
Motor | 24 | 2.0% |
Other | 45 | 3.7% |
193 respondents (15.8%) reported multiple disabilities. 58 respondents (4.7%) reported being both deaf and blind.
Screen Reader Proficiency
Response | # of Respondents | % of Respondents |
---|---|---|
Advanced | 755 | 62.2% |
Intermediate | 393 | 32.4% |
Beginner | 65 | 5.4% |
Those who use screen readers due to a disability reported themselves as more proficient with screen readers—68.2% of those with disabilities considered their proficiency to be 'Advanced' compared to only 21.5% of those without disabilities.
Internet Proficiency
Response | # of Respondents | % of Respondents |
---|---|---|
Advanced | 919 | 76% |
Intermediate | 276 | 22.8% |
Beginner | 15 | 1.2% |
Reported proficiency on this survey was higher than all previous surveys, perhaps suggesting that screen reader users are becoming more accustomed to using the internet. Those without disabilities rate themselves as more proficient than those with disabilities.
Screen Reader Usage
Response | # of Respondents | % of Respondents |
---|---|---|
I exclusively rely on screen reader audio | 850 | 71.3% |
I primarily rely on screen reader audio, but also use visual content | 140 | 11.7% |
I primarily rely on visual content, but also use screen reader audio | 115 | 9.6% |
I exclusively rely on visual content | 40 | 3.4% |
I primarily rely on Braille output | 47 | 3.9% |
Note
We neglected to ask about usage of Braille in combination with visual or audio outputs. Many respondents indicating using a combination of Braille and visual and/or audio output.
Nearly 25% of respondents rely at least partially on the visual components when using a screen reader. 79.5% of those with disabilities rely exclusively on audio, compared to only 7.4% of those without disabilities (primarily testers). This is not entirely unexpected, but does indicate significant differences in usage between those with disabilities and those without disabilities.
Only 0.6% of those with disabilities rely exclusively on the visual output—many of these reported having cognitive or learning disabilities.
Screen Reader Devices
Response | # of Respondents | % of Respondents |
---|---|---|
Desktop computer | 826 | 67.5% |
Laptop | 1027 | 83.9% |
Mobile device/Tablet | 1056 | 86.3% |
Level of Employment
Response | # of Respondents | % of Respondents |
---|---|---|
Employed full time | 566 | 46.8% |
Not employed | 210 | 17.4% |
Employed part time | 157 | 13.0% |
Student or too young for employment | 150 | 12.4% |
Retired | 126 | 10.4% |
88.5% of survey respondents that do not have a disability are employed full time, compared to 40.6% of respondents that do have a disability. This is significantly higher than the 29.5% employment rate for individuals with significant vision loss reported by the NFB in 2016. This may be due to differences in our samples.
Primary Screen Reader
Screen Reader | # of Respondents | % of Respondents |
---|---|---|
NVDA | 493 | 40.6% |
JAWS | 487 | 40.1% |
VoiceOver | 157 | 12.9% |
ZoomText/Fusion | 24 | 2.0% |
System Access or SA To Go | 12 | 1.0% |
Narrator | 12 | 1.0% |
ChromeVox | 7 | 0.6% |
Other | 22 | 1.8% |
The following chart shows historical trends for primary screen reader usage.
For the first time since 2009, JAWS is not the most common primary screen reader reported, with NVDA now having slightly higher usage.
There are three primary players—JAWS, NVDA, and VoiceOver. Usage of all other screen readers has steadily declined—taken together they only account for 6.4%. For survey simplicity, infrequently used screen readers were not offered as response options.
Respondents with disabilities are more likely to use JAWS and NVDA and less likely to use VoiceOver as their primary screen reader than respondents without disabilities. 9.8% of respondents with disabilities use VoiceOver, compared to 34.9% of respondents without disabilities.
Respondents employed full or part time were more likely to us JAWS than other respondents. NVDA users reported higher levels of screen reader proficiency than users of other screen readers.
Screen Readers Commonly Used
Screen Reader | % of Respondents |
---|---|
NVDA | 72.4% |
JAWS | 61.7% |
VoiceOver | 47.1% |
Narrator | 30.3% |
ZoomText/Fusion | 5.5% |
ChromeVox | 4.7% |
SA or SA To Go | 3.5% |
Window-Eyes | 1.2% |
Other | 6.0% |
Usage of NVDA, VoiceOver, and Narrator continue to increase, with JAWS usage down slightly. NVDA is now the most commonly used screen reader among survey respondents. Notably, Narrator—freely available in Windows for several years—is the primary screen reader of only 1% of respondents, but commonly used by 30.3% of respondents (up from 21.4% in 2017).
72.5% of respondents use more than one desktop/laptop screen reader. This was up from 53% in July 2015 and 68% in 2017. 41% use three or more, and 16% use four or more different screen readers. Vegas slot odds. VoiceOver users most commonly use additional screen readers, which is notable since the other screen readers run almost exclusively on Windows.
Browsers
Browser | # of Respondents | % of Respondents |
---|---|---|
Chrome | 537 | 44.4% |
Firefox | 331 | 27.4% |
Internet Explorer 11 | 132 | 10.9% |
Safari | 118 | 9.8% |
Internet Explorer 6, 7, or 8 | 26 | 2.1% |
Microsoft Edge | 23 | 1.9% |
Internet Explorer 9 or 10 | 18 | 1.5% |
Other | 25 | 2.1% |
Chrome usage among respondents nearly tripled in the last 22 months, making it the most popular browser. Firefox usage decreased sharply. Internet Explorer usage continued to decline, but it is still used by 14.5% of respondents, making it more commonly used than Safari (9.8%). Many respondents reported still using very old versions of Internet Explorer - there were more users of IE6, 7, or 8 than of Microsoft Edge.
Screen Reader / Browser Combinations
Screen Reader & Browser | # of Respondents | % of Respondents |
---|---|---|
JAWS with Chrome | 259 | 21.4% |
NVDA with Firefox | 237 | 19.6% |
NVDA with Chrome | 218 | 18.0% |
JAWS with Internet Explorer | 139 | 11.5% |
VoiceOver with Safari | 110 | 9.1% |
JAWS with Firefox | 71 | 5.9% |
VoiceOver with Chrome | 36 | 3.0% |
NVDA with Internet Explorer | 14 | 1.2% |
Other combinations | 126 | 10.4% |
There are many combinations in use, with JAWS with Chrome the most common, followed closely by NVDA with Firefox and NVDA with Chrome.
Operating System
Operating System | # of Respondents | % of Respondents |
---|---|---|
Windows | 882 | 72.1% |
iOS | 165 | 13.5% |
Apple | 116 | 9.5% |
Android | 47 | 3.8% |
Linux | 13 | 1.1% |
Other | 1 | .1% |
Operating system data above was detected from the system used to complete the survey. Respondents without disabilities were almost 6 times more likely to use Apple than respondents with disabilities, whereas users with disabilities were more likely to respond using iOS devices.
JavaScript
Response | % of Respondents |
---|---|
Yes | 99.3% |
No | .7% |
JavaScript support was detected with the survey form submission. Nearly all respondents had JavaScript enabled.
How Obtained
Response | # of Respondents | % of Respondents |
---|---|---|
I downloaded it free of charge from the Internet | 447 | 37.0% |
I bought it myself | 274 | 22.7% |
It was provided to me by my employer | 157 | 13.0% |
It came with my computer or operating system | 146 | 12.1% |
It was received through a government program | 134 | 11.1% |
I'm using a pirated version of a commercial screen reader | 17 | 1.4% |
It was provided to me by my school | 13 | 1.1% |
I'm using a trial version of a commercial screen reader | 3 | 0.2% |
Other | 18 | 1.5% |
Reason for Use
Response | # of Respondents | % of Respondents |
---|---|---|
Existing Comfort/Expertise | 466 | 38.9% |
Features | 340 | 28.4% |
Availability | 177 | 14.8% |
Cost | 145 | 12.1% |
Support | 70 | 5.8% |
The reasons cited have remained largely consistent since our 2012 survey.
Mobile Screen Readers
Mobile Platforms
Response | # of Respondents | % of Respondents |
---|---|---|
Apple iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch | 811 | 69.0% |
Android | 323 | 27.5% |
Other | 42 | 3.5% |
Respondents with disabilities used iOS devices at a higher rate than those without disabilities. Free online slot machines for fun no download. Usage of iOS devices was significantly higher in North America (78%) and Australia (79.4%) than in South America (30.6%), Asia (37.9%), and Europe/UK (62.1%).
iOS devices continue to dominate the mobile screen reader market, though iOS usage dropped slightly for the first time in 9 years. Android usage increased slightly and at a faster pace than previous years. Usage of other platforms (Chrome OS, Windows Phone, Nokia, etc.) combined represent only 3.5% of usage.
https://yxbj.over-blog.com/2021/02/diskwarrior-5-1-popular-and-powerful-disk-utility-download.html. iOS device usage was notably higher among respondents with disabilities than among respondents without disabilities and the overall population. Google drive pc. Those with more advanced screen reader and internet proficiency were much more likely to use iOS over Android.
Mobile Screen Readers Used
Mobile Screen Reader | % of Respondents |
---|---|
VoiceOver | 71.2% |
TalkBack for Android | 33.0% |
Voice Assistant | 8.2% |
VoiceView | 6.5% |
Mobile Accessibility for Android | 3.8% |
MobileSpeak | 1.6% |
Nuance Talks | 1.1% |
Other | 5.5% |
Primary Mobile Browser
Mobile Screen Reader | # of Respondents | % of Respondents |
---|---|---|
Safari | 726 | 62.7% |
Chrome | 292 | 25.2% |
Firefox | 62 | 5.4% |
Android Browser | 20 | 1.7% |
IE or Edge Mobile | 18 | 1.6% |
Samsung Browser | 10 | .9% |
Opera | 2 | .2% |
Other | 27 | 2.3% |
Safari on iOS is by far the most common mobile browser though usage of Chrome has notably increased.
Mobile vs. Desktop/Laptop Usage
Response | # of Respondents | % of Respondents |
---|---|---|
Desktop/Laptop | 500 | 41.3% |
I use mobile/tablet and desktop/laptop screen readers about the same | 596 | 49.2% |
Mobile/Tablet device | 115 | 9.5% |
Users are more likely to predominantly use desktop/laptop screen readers than they are mobile/tablet screen readers. Desktop/laptop usage increased since the last survey. Respondents with disabilities are more likely to use a mobile screen reader than respondents without disabilities.
Mobile App vs Web Site Usage
Response | # of Respondents | % of Respondents |
---|---|---|
Mobile App | 597 | 50.8% |
Web site | 578 | 49.2% |
Respondents indicated that they are slightly more likely to use a mobile app than a web site for common online tasks. The preference for mobile app usage increased to 50.8% in 2019, up from 46% in 2017.
Web Accessibility Progress
Response | # of Respondents | % of Respondents |
---|---|---|
Web content has become more accessible | 481 | 40.0% |
Web content accessibility has not changed | 500 | 41.6% |
Web content has become less accessible | 221 | 18.4% |
Respondents have a slightly less positive perception of the state of web accessibility now than they did in 2017. Respondents without disabilities tend to be more positive about recent progress (47.2% thought it has become more accessible) than those with disabilities (39% thought it has become more accessible).
Reasons for Inaccessibility
Response | # of Respondents | % of Respondents |
---|---|---|
Lack of awareness of web accessibility | 461 | 38.0% |
Lack of web accessibility skills or knowledge | 414 | 34.1% |
Fear that accessibility will hinder the look, feel, or functionality | 224 | 18.5% |
Lack of budget or resources to make it accessible | 115 | 9.5% |
Respondents this year were more likely to indicate lack of web accessibility skills or knowledge (34.1% compared to 26.6% in 2015) as the primary reason for inaccessibility than on previous surveys.
Customization
Response | # of Respondents | % of Respondents |
---|---|---|
Very customized | 349 | 28.7% |
Somewhat customized | 503 | 41.3% |
Slightly customized | 271 | 22.3% |
Not customized | 94 | 7.7% |
The majority of respondents customize their screen reader settings. NVDA users customize more than JAWS users, who customize more than VoiceOver users.
Text-only or Screen Reader Versions
Response | # of Respondents | % of Respondents |
---|---|---|
Whenever one is available | 263 | 22.1% |
Often | 160 | 13.5% |
Sometimes | 226 | 19.0% |
Seldom | 284 | 23.9% |
Never | 255 | 21.5% |
45.4% of respondents reported they seldom or never access text-only or screen reader versions, compared to 29.3% of respondents reporting this in 2014. The fact that so many users do not use such versions suggests that this approach to accessibility is not optimal.
Landmarks/Regions
Response | # of Respondents | % of Respondents |
---|---|---|
Whenever they're available | 158 | 13.2% |
Often | 160 | 13.4% |
Sometimes | 367 | 30.7% |
Seldom | 276 | 23.1% |
Never | 233 | 19.5% |
The frequent use of landmarks and regions has continually decreased from 43.8% in 2014, to 38.6% in 2015, to 30.5% in 2017, to 26.6% on this survey. It's difficult to know the reasons for this. It could be due to infrequent or improper usage of landmarks/regions in pages. Or perhaps because other mechanisms are continually better.
Finding Information
Response | # of Respondents | % of Respondents |
---|---|---|
Navigate through the headings on the page | 830 | 68.8% |
Use the 'Find' feature | 189 | 15.7% |
Navigate through the links of the page | 68 | 5.6% |
Navigate through the landmarks/regions of the page | 35 | 2.9% |
Read through the page | 85 | 7.0% |
Navigating headings remains the predominant method for finding page information. While 26.6% of respondents indicate that they always or often use landmarks when they are present, only 2.9% use this method for finding information on a lengthy web page. Those with advanced screen reader proficiency are much more likely to use headings (75%) than those with beginner proficiency (45%), who are more likely to read through the page or use the 'Find' feature.
Heading Levels
Response | # of Respondents | % of Respondents |
---|---|---|
Very Useful | 625 | 52.2% |
Somewhat Useful | 406 | 33.9% |
Not Very Useful | 104 | 8.7% |
Not At All Useful | 28 | 2.3% |
I Don't Know | 34 | 2.8% |
Browser Usage Statistics 2020 Edge
The usefulness of proper heading structures is very high, with 86.1% of respondents finding heading levels very or somewhat useful.
WCAG Conformance
Response | # of Respondents | % of Respondents |
---|---|---|
Less than 5% | 166 | 13.9% |
5% - 10% | 152 | 12.7% |
10% - 20% | 198 | 16.5% |
20% - 50% | 172 | 14.4% |
More than 50% | 89 | 7.4% |
I Don't Know | 420 | 35.1% |
While 35.1% of respondents didn't know or offer an answer, those that did answer provided very mixed responses. Most believe the majority of pages do not meet WCAG guidelines. We know from the WebAIM Million analysis that the conformance rate for home pages is no higher than 2%.
Screen Reader Detection
How comfortable would you be with allowing web sites (and thus web site owners) to detect whether you are using a screen reader?
Response | # of Respondents | % of Respondents |
---|---|---|
Very Comfortable | 471 | 39.2% |
Somewhat Comfortable | 280 | 23.3% |
Not Very Comfortable | 172 | 14.3% |
Not At All Comfortable | 217 | 18.1% |
I Don't Know | 61 | 5.1% |
Respondents are predominantly comfortable with allowing screen reader detection by web sites. However, this favorability has decreased over time - 78.4% of respondents to this question in 2014 were very or somewhat comfortable with allowing screen reader detection, compared to 62.5% in 2019. Respondents with disabilities were significantly more likely to be favorable of detection than respondents without disabilities.
This relevant article may be of interest - Why Screen Reader Detection on the Web is a Bad Thing.
How comfortable would you be with allowing web sites (and thus web site owners) to detect whether you are using a screen reader if doing so resulted in a more accessible experience?
Response | # of Respondents | % of Respondents |
---|---|---|
Very Comfortable | 631 | 53.2% |
Somewhat Comfortable | 234 | 19.7% |
Not Very Comfortable | 129 | 10.9% |
Not At All Comfortable | 149 | 12.6% |
I Don't Know | 42 | 3.5% |
Comfort with screen reader detection increases notably when respondents believe this detection would improve their experience. Historically, there has generally been resistance to web technologies that would detect assistive technologies - primarily due to privacy concerns and fear of discrimination. These responses clearly indicate that the majority of users are comfortable with revealing their usage of assistive technologies, especially if it results in a more accessible experience.
Multiple Languages
Response | # of Respondents | % of Respondents |
---|---|---|
Yes | 493 | 40.6% |
No | 721 | 59.4% |
Most Used Browsers Statistics
There were notable differences in language settings across geographical regions - 77.1% of respondents from Africa or the Middle East, 75% from Asia, 66.7% from South America, and 65.3% from Europe have their screen readers set to read more than one language, compared to 22.4% of respondents from North America. How to use texmod mass effect 3.
PDF Issues
Response | # of Respondents | % of Respondents |
---|---|---|
Very Likely | 441 | 36.8% |
Somewhat Likely | 459 | 38.3% |
Somewhat Unlikely | 147 | 12.3% |
Very Unlikely | 112 | 9.4% |
I Don't Know | 38 | 3.2% |
The vast majority (75.1%) of respondents indicate that PDF document are very or somewhat likely to pose significant accessibility issues.
Word Issues
Response | # of Respondents | % of Respondents |
---|---|---|
Very Likely | 113 | 9.5% |
Somewhat Likely | 254 | 21.4% |
Somewhat Unlikely | 322 | 27.2% |
Very Unlikely | 443 | 37.4% |
I Don't Know | 54 | 4.6% |
Browser Usage Statistics 2020 United States
Respondents were much more favorable of Word documents than of PDF documents - 30.9% indicated that Word documents are very or somewhat likely to pose significant accessibility issues, compared to 75.1% for PDF documents.