Internet Users Polled on Their Search Engine Habits
REDMOND, Wash., Aug. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- It used to be that we'd
travel to far-flung corners of the globe or take up meditation if we wanted to
"find" ourselves. But a new survey* from the MSN(R) network of services and
Harris Interactive Inc. reveals that these days, Internet users in the United
States are quite likely to turn to a search engine in their search for
themselves. Of Americans who responded to the survey, 39 percent said they
have looked for themselves when searching on the Internet, compared with
29 percent who said they have looked for a family member and 36 percent who
have searched for friends they have lost touch with. Seventeen percent have
searched for an ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO )
The What Is America Searching For? survey was conducted to discover what
Internet users across the country are using search engines for. MSN
commissioned the poll to mark the July 1 launch of its new MSN Search home
page, which features faster loading times and quicker access to the
information that people care about most.
Over 2,200 adult respondents were interviewed, representing every region
in the country as well as six major cities. The online interviews took place
during late June and early July, and the results provide a snapshot of users'
search engine habits, as well as revealing the interests of the nation's
countrymen and women.
Many of the findings revealed that users often revert to type when they
search online, and their search engine habits reflect their age, gender or
geography:
-- New Yorkers were most likely among respondents to search for news on
investments.
-- Searchers in Los Angeles were more likely to focus on entertainment.
-- Generation Xers, perhaps the first generation to embrace the Internet
revolution, were more likely to search for blind dates and pursue
romantic interests when online.
-- Baby Boomers, on the other hand, were more likely to search for health
and weather information and recipes.
-- Mature adults (age 59 and older) were more likely to search on ancestry
or family history topics as well as research their investments.
-- Young adults were more likely to use search engines to research
education and careers as well as to look up a friend.
-- Men, somewhat predictably, were more likely than women to look up
automobiles and technology and science topics.
-- Women were more likely than men to search for information on health and
fashion as well as celebrity news and scandals.
Although anecdotal evidence reveals that most Americans are familiar with
and use search engines regularly, the MSN-Harris Interactive survey revealed
the extent to which users now rely on the technology. Almost half (48 percent)
of respondents confirmed they use search engines at least once a day, and over
two-thirds (69 percent) said that search engines are the fastest way to get
the information they are looking for. The results established that users turn
to search engines to get all kinds of news and information, on topics ranging
from the war and the presidential race to celebrity gossip, and even to search
for long-lost friends.
Justin Osmer, MSN product manager for Search at Microsoft Corp., said,
"Most people are satisfied with their search engines, but according to the
survey, there is a significant minority - 29 percent - who only sometimes or
rarely find what they want, which is why we have more improvements rolling
out. Our vision is to go beyond today's basic search services and deliver
faster, more relevant results. For example, MSN plans to offer direct answers
to people's questions in plain English. In order to do that, it's important
for us to understand how people use search engines and what they're searching
for when they're online."
Osmer said, "Search engines may be taken for granted these days, but MSN
believes that it can continue to make significant improvements and give
quicker access to more relevant information. For instance, even when people do
find the exact information they're looking for, an internal MSN study found
that it takes an average of 11 minutes per search for people to go through the
long lists of links offered by today's search services."
To address Internet users' search engine needs, MSN Search has been
revamped -- with a new home page and immediate access to in-depth information
sources such as the Microsoft(R) Encarta(R) encyclopedia and dictionary, and
services that provide news, shopping, stock quotes and more.
More information can be found on the MSN Search home page
( http://search.msn.com ). The What Is America Searching For? survey results
are available upon request.
About Harris Interactive
Harris Interactive ( http://www.harrisinteractive.com/ ) is a worldwide
market research and consulting firm best known for The Harris Poll(R), and for
pioneering the Internet method to conduct scientifically accurate market
research. Headquartered in Rochester, N.Y., Harris Interactive combines
proprietary methodologies and technology with expertise in predictive, custom
and strategic research. The Company conducts international research from its
U.S. offices and through wholly owned subsidiaries -- London-based HI Europe
( http://www.hieurope.com/ ), Paris-based Novatris and Tokyo-based Harris
Interactive Japan -- as well as through the Harris Interactive Global Network
of independent market- and opinion-research firms.
About MSN
MSN attracts more than 350 million unique users worldwide per month. With
localized versions available globally in 38 markets and 18 languages, MSN is a
world leader in delivering Web services to consumers and online advertising
opportunities to businesses worldwide. The most useful and innovative online
service today, MSN brings consumers everything they need from the Web to make
the most of their time online. MSN is located on the Web at
http://www.msn.com/ . MSN worldwide sites are located at
http://www.msn.com/worldwide.ashx .
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in
software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their
full potential.
* The survey was conducted online by Harris Interactive from
June 25-July 6, 2004, using a nationwide sample of 2,231 adults
who have used an Internet search engine. In addition to the nationwide
sample, we conducted targeted interviews in the following cities:
Seattle (n=287), New York (n=280), Los Angeles (n=285), Atlanta (n=259),
Chicago (n=288) and Denver (n=286). Figures for gender, region, age,
education, household income and race/ethnicity were weighted where
necessary to bring them into line with actual population proportions. In
theory with population proportions of this size, one can say with
95 percent certainty that the national results have a sampling error
of plus or minus 2 percentage points, and the city results have a
sampling error of plus or minus 6 percentage points of what they would
be if the entire U.S. adult population of search engine users or the
entire adult city population of search engine users had been polled with
accuracy. This online sample is not a probability sample.
NOTE: Microsoft, MSN and Encarta are either registered trademarks or
trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the
trademarks of their respective owners.
SOURCE Microsoft Corp.
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