A recent survey conducted by Harris Interactive and Intel found that 65 percent of U.S. adults don’t think they could live without the Internet.
Seventy-one percent of respondents to the survey said it’s important or very important to have Internet-enabled devices – laptops, netbooks and mobile Web devices – that relay instant updates on important issues, including the economy’s health.
Michelle Melamaud, an analyst with Harris Interactive, expressed surprise at the findings.
“The Internet is more important to most of our respondents than shopping for clothes. You need clothes – clothes are not an option,” she said.
Internet access is more of a necessity than sex for 46 percent of women and 30 percent of men, who said they would rather forego sex for two weeks than go without the Internet for the same length of time.
Forty-nine percent of women between 18-34 years of age said the same, while 52 percent of women between 35-44 agreed.
For men between 18-34, this figure was around 39 percent.
The Internet is also more essential than television, according to the survey, which found that 61 percent of adult women would rather give up watching TV for two weeks than giving up Internet access for just one week. Fifty-eight percent of all U.S. adults agreed.
Many U.S. adults rely on the Internet as a tool for managing personal finances, finding discounts and comparison shopping, while many said it was more necessary for them than dining out, shopping for clothes and gym memberships.
In rough economic times, it should comfort all Internet-based enterprises to see how important the Internet remains for U.S. adults.
In the same light, 87 percent of respondents said access to the Internet helped them to save money.
Sources:
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=03300316PVMO
http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/reporting/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=212500440
Jason Hahn
e: jhahn221@gmail.com
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