The US internet population is growing all the time and a large proportion of users are happy with the medium. These are the findings of the Consumer Internet Barometer, a quarterly measure of web usage. However, the survey also exposed growing concerns about internet security and many consumers are still reluctant to disclose personal information online.
The Consumer Internet Barometer is produced jointly by NFO WorldGroup, Forrester Research and The Conference Board. The latest survey showed that the percentage of Americans going online at least once a month has edged up from 59% to 61% in the last year. Over 35% of users surf the net on a daily business while 15% go online several times a week. More consumers use the internet mainly for personal communication (36%) than for work-related activities (18%).
Just over 41% of consumers expressed satisfaction with their online experience but trust levels have fallen with only a quarter of those questioned claiming to be confident about security issues. A recent report, conducted by Yahoo! and ACNielsen, claimed that internet confidence had levelled out in the third quarter (see Internet Confidence Steady In Third Quarter, Says ACNielsen).
“One striking exception to this downward trend in trust is online financial transactions,” said Lynn Franco, Director of the Consumer Research Center for The Conference Board. “More than 31% of consumers who engage in online financial transactions trust that their personal information will be safe, compared with 27% almost a year ago.”
The survey also found that online shoppers are spending more. Almost 31% of online consumers spent more than $250 in the third quarter, an increase from 28% in the final quarter of last year. “The rise in average spending per individual, coupled with the increase in traffic as the holiday season approaches, should help boost online sales in the coming months,” said Franco.
