42 % have ever used

[roubi]

Hi, I'm not quite sure about the meaning of 'ever' in this context:

42% of all Americans had ever used complementary or alternative medicine by 2002
That's the whole sentence.
There are other similar numbers before and after.
Does ever means "déjà" or "once" here ?

 

[Meille]

The English sentence is wrong.
You can ask "Have you ever...?"
But you can't say "somebody has ever..."
It would have to be "42% have used..." which implies "déjà" but isn't specifically "once".

 

[roubi]

Merci Meille, c'est pour ça que ça me semblait bizzare alors... Je vais faire comme si c'était "already".