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I had a request from one of our staff to change the forms to not require the email address because a single person (out of probably 1000 applicants) cannot submit the form because, apparently, that single person does not have an email address.
Is it safe to assume that everyone has an email address now?
I don't believe the question as posed is the correct way of thinking about the issue. Rather than asking if everybody has an email address now, (and the answer is self evidently no), the question you should consider is:
Do you require an email address?
If your form is for a service in which communication (invoices, receipts etc) will be emailed to people, then by definition an email address is required, so it is reasonable to require it.
If your service does not require an email address to work; the customer can receive physical mail, SMS messages or simply does not need to receive communication other than within the service, then don't force the customer to enter an email address. You can ask and supply hints like
'you have not entered an email address; please note that we won't be able to XYZ you'
Even if everybody in the world did have an email address, people may choose not to supply one if they feel that it is not required for your company or service. You have to accept that, or people will just supply dummy address information anyway.
Just came across this and would like to say that many poor and illiterate families do not have access to email. Neither do many immigrants. I used to assume "everybody" had email, but after working with a population of underserved citizens, I can tell you that no, not everybody has access to email.
Everyone? Literally everyone? Your mother, your brother, your gran, your 2 year old nephew? As you know that is obviously a no, I doubt you meant that. But that you clearly don't mean it literally does raise the question:
What is it you mean by 'everyone'?
What is your target audience?
If you're targeting digitally adept 20-somethings with some sort of an application that connects with facebook...then yes, it is probably a fairly safe assumption that pretty much everyone has an email address.
If you're looking at the general public as a whole though...Then there are a lot of adults who don't have an email address. Even many who have no trouble using the internet as part of their daily life. In my studies I've came across a lot of people like this. They're generally a little bit older, 40/50+, and as far as account-driven sites are concerned they stick to only one or two (facebook and amazon are the usual). Often they technically have an email address (set up for them usually), but never use it and have totally forgot how to access it. Other times they merely borrowed the email address of a more digital relative to sign up.
Grant's point about considering whether you actually need it or not is also very valid. When people are asked to enter their email address there is a little bit of a recoil and a push away from signing up, a sort of "Uh oh, here comes more spam" or "Great, so now I'll have to go and check for one of those confirmation emails, pfff".
While inferring alright, I think it is safe to assume that the percentage of people around the globe who do have internet access but don't have an email is minute.
I have three email addresses, but if I'm TOLD I must supply an email, which is not necessary, I submit - "notnecessary@hotmail.com" and it always goes through. By the way I know many people who don't have email, mobile phone, or facebook and most are younger than me!
