Downloading TV Programs, Watching Video and Making Online Phone Calls Represent Biggest One-Year Internet Activity Increase
- E-Mail, News Gathering and Paying Bills Still Tops Among U.S. Adults -
NEW YORK/PRNewswire/ -- Downloading TV programs, watching
online videos and making online phone calls posted the biggest
year-to-year percent increase among adult Internet users, according to
new data from Mediamark Research & Intelligence (MRI).
E-mail, news gathering and paying bills online continue to be among
the most widely used Internet activities by U.S. consumers ages 18+,
the MRI data show.
According to responses from MRI's just released Fall 2008 Survey of
the American Consumer, 3.2% of adults said they had downloaded a TV
program in the last 30 days. That represents a year-to-year increase of
141.4%. The number of adults who reported they watched online video
increased 35.4% during the same period, to a total of 23.3% of the
adult population, while 4.0% of respondents reported they had made an
online phone call, an increase of 32.0%.
The Internet activities engaged in by the greatest number of adults
were use of e-mail (74.2%), obtaining news (46%) and paying bills
online (39.6%). These have been popular online activities among adults
for several years.
MRI began measuring Internet activities in 1997 and continually adds
new Internet behavior questions to its survey. The fall 2008 data
include four new Internet activities: sharing photos (done by one in
four adults in the last 30 days); sending electronic greeting cards (9%
of adults); watching a live TV program online (5.3% of the U.S. adult
population); and uploading or adding video to a Web site (4.1% of
adults).
Internet Activities
U.S. Adults with Access to the Internet
Which, if any, of these activities % %
did you do on the Internet in the All Adults Change From
last 30 days? Fall 2008 Fall 2007
Used E-mail 74.2 +5.2
Obtained the Latest News/Current Events 46.0 +9.8
Paid Bills Online 39.6 +15.3
Made a Purchase for Personal Use 37.2 +7.8
Used Instant Messenger 29.7 +23.6
Obtained Financial Information 28.3 +9.6
Obtained Sports News/Information 28.1 +10.6
Shared Photos Through Internet Website 25.4 N/A
Looked for Recipes 24.8 +24.8
Played Games Online 24.6 +8.0
Watched Online Video 23.3 +35.4
Downloaded Music 21.6 +9.6
Made Personal or Business Travel Plans 20.5 +3.6
Obtained Medical Information 19.9 +4.3
Looked up Movie Listings or Show Times 19.7 +16.8
Visited a TV network's or TV show's website 18.7 +15.4
Looked for Employment 15.3 +23.6
Tracked Investments/Traded Stocks,
Bonds or Mutual Funds 13.2 +14.7
Listened to Radio on the Internet 13.1 +10.4
Obtained Information about Real Estate 12.9 +5.4
Made a Purchase for Business Use 11.4 +3.4
Visited Online Blogs 11.0 +17.9
Obtained Information for a New Car Purchase 10.6 No change
Sent an Electronic Greeting Card 9.0 N/A
Looked at TV Listing Online 7.7 +5.9
Obtained Childcare or Parenting Information 5.3 +12.7
Watched A Live TV Program 5.3 N/A
Wrote an Online Blog 4.3 +16.3
Uploaded or Added Video to a Website 4.1 N/A
Made a Phone Call Online 4.0 +32.0
Downloaded a Podcast 3.8 +22.1
Downloaded a TV Program 3.2 +141.4
Source: MRI's Fall 2008 and Fall 2007 Survey of the American Consumer
N/A=New MRI Question; Not asked in Fall '07
Field Dates for MRI's Fall 2008 survey: September 2007 to October 2008
Read more
Note: During the personal interview, MRI asks readers of individual
magazines if, as a result of reading that magazine, they visited the
magazine's website. That data are not included in this general Internet
Activities data
"We should not be surprised that relatively new activities such as
downloading TV programs from the Internet have a lower overall usage,"
said Anne Marie Kelly, Senior Vice President of Marketing &
Strategic Planning. "What is interesting is that virtually all
activities -- including mainstream ones such as using email-have shown
growth in the last year. In fact, just about one-half of the
highlighted activities have enjoyed double-digit growth."
About MRI....
Founded in 1979, MRI interviews approximately 26,000 U.S. adults in
their homes each year, asking about their use of media, their
consumption of products and their lifestyles and attitudes.
MRI is the country's leading provider of magazine audience and
multimedia research data. The company releases data from Survey of the
American Consumer (adults 18+) twice yearly, in the spring and fall.
MRI data have become the basic media-planning currency for the majority
of the media plans that are created each year by national advertisers
and their agencies. The company's 26,000 in-home interviews each year
represent the biggest survey of its kind.
MRI Starch, a leader in providing marketing intelligence of print advertising effectiveness, is a division of MRI.
MRI is part of GfK Group AG, Nuremberg, Germany. For more information, please visit http://www.mediamark.com/.
Source: MRI
CONTACT: Anne Marie Kelly, Vice President, Marketing and Strategic
Planning, MRI: 
+1-212-884-9204
, annemarie.kelly@mediamark.com; or Steve
Ellwanger, Press Counsel Group: +1-203-856-8303, steve@presscounselonline.com
Web site:
http://www.mediamark.com/