College Students Wi-Fi Has Become a Fixture on Campus; 73 percent Say Wi-Fi Helps Them Get Better Grades |
Wi-Fi Alliance(R) poll provides insight to always-connected undergrad
lifestyle
AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Wi-Fi is an integral part of
today's college experience, changing the way students study, interact with
professors, and socialize. In a survey released today by the Wi-Fi Alliance
and Wakefield Research, nine out of 10 college students in the United
States say Wi-Fi access is as essential to education as classrooms and
computers, and nearly three in five say they wouldn't go to a college that
doesn't have free Wi-Fi. What's more, fully 79 percent said that without
Wi-Fi access, college would be a lot harder.
"Wi-Fi has become a universal expectation among college students, and
their attitudes towards technology are a good indicator of broad changes
underway in how we as a society learn, work and communicate," said Edgar
Figueroa, executive director of the Wi-Fi Alliance, the global trade
organization representing the Wi-Fi industry. "Young adults expect access
to information with unprecedented immediacy. Whether they are chasing a
detail that will help them look smart in the middle of a class discussion,
or are looking up a new friend on the Internet within minutes of meeting
them -- Wi-Fi enables the flexibility and freedom to access information
from just about anywhere."
College prospects and their parents take into consideration many
factors when choosing the right school -- and technology has increasingly
become a major deciding factor. Sixty percent of those polled agree that
widely available Wi-Fi on campus is an indication that a school cares about
its students.
"Wi-Fi is expected as part of today's campus experience both from an
educational perspective as well as from a social perspective. Students
expect Wi-Fi so that they can learn anytime and anywhere on campus as well
as always be available for friends and family," said Stan Schatt, vice
president and research director at ABI Research. "We expect to see Wi-Fi
penetration in U.S. universities at 99% by 2013."
For today's students, getting connected no longer means reserving a
station at the computer lab or going to the library. Undergrads are logging
in at coffee shops and restaurants (55 percent), in parks (47 percent), and
even in their cars (24 percent).
Other survey findings:
-- If forced to choose, nearly half of respondents (48 percent) would
give up beer before giving up Wi-Fi.
-- Seventy-two percent would rather wear their school rival's team
colors for a day.
-- More than two in five (44 percent) used Wi-Fi to get a head start on
an assignment before a class was finished.
-- More than half have checked Facebook(TM) or MySpace(TM) and sent or
received e-mail while using their laptop in class. Just under half sent
instant messages to a friend during class.
-- Many students reported that the availability of Wi-Fi influences
their choice of coffee shop (52 percent), bookstore (42 percent), and
restaurant (33 percent).
In conjunction with the Wi-Fi Alliance, Wakefield Research surveyed 501
U.S. college students in September 2008. The sampling variation in this
survey is plus or minus 4.3 percentage points.
About the Wi-Fi Alliance
The Wi-Fi Alliance is a global, non-profit industry association of more
than 300 member companies devoted to promoting the growth of wireless Local
Area Networks (WLANs). With the aim of enhancing the user experience for
wireless portable, mobile, and home entertainment devices, the Wi-Fi
Alliance's testing and certification programs help ensure the
interoperability of WLAN products based on the IEEE 802.11 specification.
Since the introduction of the Wi-Fi Alliance's certification program in
March 2000, more than 4,800 products have been designated as Wi-Fi
CERTIFIED(TM), encouraging the expanded use of Wi-Fi products and services
across the consumer and enterprise markets.
SOURCE Wi-Fi Alliance
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CONTACT:
Karl Stetson of Edelman, +1-206-268-2215,
karl.stetson@edelman.com, for Wi-Fi Alliance
