Sixty Million Americans Seek Help Online

January 26, 2006

Sixty Million Americans Seek Help Online



By K.C. Jones Courtesy of TechWeb News
About 60 million Americans say the Internet played an important or crucial
role in making a major decision in two years before being polled.
And, whether they're seeking investments, home improvements, medical issues
or guidance on voting, Internet users are more likely to turn to help from
their social networks than their counterparts who don't use the Internet.

The Pew Internet & American Life Project Survey, released this week, sheds
light on correlations between Internet use, relationships and how much
people turn to others to solve significant problems in their lives. It also
shows a growing trend toward seeking information about major life decisions
online.

"A fairly consistent pattern is that Internet users have greater access to
help about a variety of things," the report states.

Far from predictions that the proliferation of technology would cut people
off from each other, the report shows communications technologies make it
easier for people to maintain and cultivate social networks. Those are
contacts that can be called upon for help. It also concludes that, weighing
all other factors, email contact is associated with greater levels of
getting help while other forms of communication are not.

Thirty-nine percent of Internet users who were looking for jobs sought help
from the people they know, while 21 percent of non-users consulted friends
and family. Similar gaps exist between the two groups whether they're
looking for housing, a new computer or financial advice.

The report, based on surveys in February and March 2004, states that newer
technologies, like email and cell phones, seem to smooth more paths toward
getting help than traditional means. That may be because people "show a
tendency over the course of item to use email for weighty or urgent
purposes."

However, the report does not conclude whether the Internet and other
technologies are changing the way users behave or whether users -- who tend
to be better educated, more involved in their communities, and generally
more advantaged than non-users -- are more inclined to reach out to others
in the first place.

Forty-five percent, or about 60 million Americans, said the Internet played
an important or crucial role in making major life decisions regarding these
topics: career training, medical conditions and health issues, education,
car purchases, financial moves, housing and jobs.
About 21 million people said online information was important or crucial
when they considered career training; 17 million said it was key to helping
someone else with a medical condition or health issue online; another 17
million said it played heavily in decisions about education.

Of those citing the Internet as an important or crucial source of
information, 34 percent said it helped find advice and support from others;
30 percent said it helped them compare options and 28 percent said it led
them to professional or expert services.

Information overload did not register as significant complaint. Only 15
percent of respondents said they were overwhelmed by the amount of
information they had. Of online users who relied on the Internet for one of
five major decisions, only 5 percent said they obtained bad information.
Seventy-one percent said they had all of the information they needed and it
was manageable, and 11 percent wanted more information.

A Pew survey in March 2005, which followed up on questions about major life
decisions posed in 2002, indicates that the Internet's role in assisting
with major life decisions has grown. In 2002, 45 million Americans said the
Internet played a crucial or important role in decision-making. The jump to
60 million people represents a one-third increase.