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October 16, 2002
CNN/Money
More Americans Go Online
Even as Internet
usage, satisfaction levels rise, many consumers are
still worried about security.
NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Americans are using
and enjoying the Internet more, a private research firm
said Wednesday, even though they're still not entirely
sure their personal information is secure.
Sixty-one percent of all Americans go
online at least once a month, compared with 59 percent
at the end of 2001, the Conference Board said in its
quarterly report on Internet usage. The private research
firm is better known for its monthly survey of consumer
confidence.
The survey of about 7,000 homes, conducted
with NFO WorldGroup and Forrester Research, found satisfaction
levels rose across a spectrum of activities, including
personal communication, shopping and game-playing.
Surprisingly, consumers' trust that their
personal information -- including Social Security and
credit-card numbers -- is safe from access by other
parties fell in almost every category.
When it comes to online shopping, for
example, only 21.2 percent of those surveyed trust their
personal information -- including credit-card numbers
-- will be protected from access by other parties, compared
with 21.9 percent at the end of 2001.
"One striking exception to this downward
trend in trust is online financial transactions,"
Lynn Franco, director of the Consumer Research Center
for the Conference Board, said in a note.
More than 31 percent of consumers who
engage in online financial transactions trust that their
personal information will be safe, compared with 27
percent at the end of 2001. Similarly, the number of
people using the Internet for financial transactions
rose to 41.5 percent from 38.9 percent at the end of
2001.
Even though consumers may be doing more
shopping online, they're still not spending very much.
Just 6.8 percent of respondents spent more than $1,001
in the three months before the survey. The biggest share,
23.9 percent, spent only between $51 and $100.
The Conference Board said, however, that
the number of online shoppers is likely to rise and
consumers are likely to spend more as the holiday season
approaches.
More than 35 percent of Internet users
go online daily, while 15 percent go online several
times a week.
More than 33 percent of the survey
respondents said they'd never been online at all.
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