Posts tagged Survey at Switched

Salespeople Push LCD TVs More Than Plasmas, Study Finds

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 23rd 2008 at 12:25PM

For some strange reason, we can't say we're surprised by the latest J.D. Power and Associates report. Maybe it's how LCD HDTVs seem to be highlighted in most retail locations, or maybe it's just because the negative burn-in stigma attached to earlier PDPs has yet to wear off.

Whatever the case, said research firm has just produced an article claiming that "retail electronics salespersons are recommending LCD TVs instead of plasma TVs at a rate of more than three to one." The research focused on shoppers looking for sets 40-inches and up over the past six months, though it didn't specifically mention where it went undercover to source such data.

Really though, it's not shocking to hear that B&M salespeople aren't totally adept at explaining pros and cons -- after all, we'd recommend doing your own independent research and ordering online -- but hopefully this will beat the message home to those who've been blindly believing anything they hear when shopping for a new set. [Image courtesy of Exceptional Innovation]

Study Finds That One-Third of Consumers Copy DVDs

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 10th 2008 at 9:01AM

'Round these parts, we prefer to read the fine print first, so it should be noted that none other than Macrovision -- you know, the firm that purchased the now-cracked BD+ DRM scheme for $45 million last year -- financed this here study.

According to poll results from US and UK consumers, around 1 in 3 individuals admitted to "making copies of pre-recorded DVDs in the past 6 months, up over a quarter from the previous year's study." Predictably, males aged 18 to 24 were most likely to wear an eye patch and own a DVD burner (if you catch our drift), and while revenue loss due to illegal copying is certainly a valid concern, researchers did find that 62% of American respondents (and 49% in the UK) were duping flicks they already owned. Arrr! [Image courtesy of George Dillon]

82% of Americans Never Use Text Messaging

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 8th 2008 at 1:12PM

While there has been quite the kerfuffle about banning texting while driving and educating Australian youngsters on text speak, a new survey shows that the vast majority of us haven't even sent a single SMS. Research firm Ipsos MediaCT polled individuals in a variety of countries and came to one general conclusion: If folks are using SMS, "they're using it frequently."

On the flip-side, those who aren't savvy with text messaging aren't apt to just dabble in it. For instance, 82% of respondents in America said "that they never used text messaging, while 3% said that they used it monthly or less" and 15% reported using it "every week or even more. Who knows what that figure would be if carriers stopping charging an arm and a leg for per-use messaging. [Source: New York Times via Textually, image courtesy of ugo]

Gadget Buyers Seen as Arrogant and Assertive, Study Finds

by Will Safer, posted Jun 19th 2008 at 3:15PM

Assertive. A strong leader. Possibly arrogant.

Who do these traits typify? A presidential candidate? Captain of industry?

Not quite. According to a recent study conducted by Nielsen Online and Mindset Media, these are the typical character traits of many a gadget lover and early adopter. They are an assertive bunch, they show leadership traits and dynamism but interestingly enough these folks are low on modesty.

Sound like anyone you know?

The study surveyed 25,000 American adults and analyzed 20 personality traits or "mindsets" including openness, creativity, self esteem and spontaneity.

Those who scored high in leadership were 68 percent more likely to have purchased three or more computers in the past two years, the study found. And those who scored high in assertiveness were 62 percent more likely to purchase a new cell phone when the newest model arrived on the market.

The study also determined that tech consumers may be seen as conceited or arrogant by others, and that they pursue luxury brands as a sign of status. This jibes pretty well with the assessment that Apple fans tend to feel superior to others and could use a little modesty. (Or maybe they really are better people?) [Source: Reuters]

Half the Songs on the Average Teen's iPod Are Illegal

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Jun 16th 2008 at 11:47AM

Half the Songs on the Average iPod are Illegal

If you were to dig through the average 18-year-old's iPod, you'll find quite a bit of illegally obtained music. According to a recent British study, an average of 842 illegally downloaded tracks can be found on a 14-24 year-old's iPod. 842 songs equals about half of the average music collection for the same age group.

The study also proved once and for all that anyone who says they don't illegally download music is probably lying. 96 percent of respondents age 18-24 have illegally copied or downloaded music, while 89 percent of 14-17 year olds have.

Record companies are desperate to put an end to piracy and restore revenue streams as CD sales continue to bottom out. This same study also showed that teens were willing to pay for legal subscription services. Even so, consumers have long had a number of legal subscription services -- Napster, Rhapsody, and others -- to choose from and yet none have truly taken off.

Perhaps if consumers weren't scarred by decades of greed, stupidity, crappy music and artificially inflated prices, they'd be more willing to play fairly. [Source: Times Online]

Cell Phones More Important Than Wallets, Survey Says

by Will Safer, posted May 14th 2008 at 2:07PM

If you had to leave your house for 24 hours and could take only one thing, what would it be?

More likely than not, these days it would be your cell phone, according to a new survey conducted by IDC that was sponsored by communications equipment maker Nortel.

Of 2,367 people polled, 38 percent said they would take their cell phone over their wallet, keys, laptop or digital music player. In fact, less than 30 percent chose their wallets first.

Nortel's goal with the survey was to find out how many of us out there are "hyperconnected," which means we use at least seven different devices in our work and personal lives -- and also use nine or more applications to send instant messages, text messages or conduct conference calls. (If you're one of these people, maybe you need a little break from all the tech? We suggest some time outdoors.)

The most hyperconnected country is China. The least are Canada and the United Arab Emirates. Around the world, 16 percent of those surveyed are hyperconnected and that group is expected to grow to 40 percent within the next five years.

But what about the rest of us, those not so hard core with the tech? We're no slouches either, apparently, with the survey indicating that 36 percent of respondents are "increasingly connected," which means we use at least four devices and six applications in our daily lives.

What's driving this need to connect? Social networking is becoming a major force in business. Who is behind the curve? The healthcare industry has only nine percent identified as hyperconnected. Its no surprise that the high tech industry has the most, with 25 percent.

We're busy people, no? We agree with Nortel's assessment, that we're a "culture of connectivity." You can see the details of the study here. [Source: Reuters].

70% of Workers Divulge Confidential Info In Public Over Cell Phones

by Will Safer, posted Apr 9th 2008 at 6:17PM

Do you ever catch yourself listening in on a conversation someone else is having on a cell phone? It happens all the time. You're riding the bus, sitting in a restaurant, or waiting in an airport lounge for your flight when suddenly you are almost forced to listen in on what clearly should be a private conversation. What could be the impact of all these private calls made uncomfortably public?

Well, Vodaphone in United Kingdom has done some interesting research into how people making business calls on their wireless phones often say more than they should about sensitive information, essentially broadcasting company secrets to anyone within earshot.

Vodafone UK found that more than 70% of workers talk business on their mobile phones in public, often openly discussing confidential new products or services. More than a quarter those surveyed admitted that they would follow up on a lead they overheard from someone else's phone conversation.

So, the next time you feel the need to share some important piece of business information with a colleague, or even feel like talking about your date last night with a good friend, remember that your cell phone doesn't come equipped with a "private" button.

If you're out in public, then the public is part of your conversation.

From Textually.

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Prepaid Cell Phones Could Earn an Extra $11 Billion for the Nation's Poorest

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Apr 7th 2008 at 10:58AM

Nicholas Sullivan at the MIT Media Lab has reached a similar conclusion to the one driving Google's Grandcentral for the homeless push -- communication is the key to success. The report out of MIT claims that putting prepaid cell phones in the hands of the 38 percent of the poorest Americans without one could earn them between $2.9 billion and $11 billion a year through increased business (for the self employed), and increased hours or wages.

The two surveys used to generate this report also found cell phones provided an important security blanket effect for the owners, with a vast majority of Americans agreeing that a cell phone was "very important" for emergency situations. This safety blanket effect is important because the poorest among us who would stand to benefit most financially from a cell phone are also disproportionately affected by crime.

That two for one shot, finances plus safety, makes us feel like some filthy rich philanthropist should start buying up and handing out every prepaid phone he/she can find.

From Textually and Cellular News

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Gadgets Increasingly Ruining Sex Lives Around the World

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Mar 28th 2008 at 3:08PM

In the Battle for Supremacy It Appears Technology is Beating out Sex

We've published a number of articles about disturbing surveys focused on how technology affects our sex lives. MSNBC contributor Brian Alexander has compiled a boatload of information on the subject from several surveys in one surprising look at technology and our bedroom manners.

In addition to lowering your sperm count and potentially deforming the little guys in your man-batter, cell phones are adding to our technological distractions. Marta Meana, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Nevada, says that cell phones are part of our culture of multi-tasking, which is preventing us from making "quiet time to have sex." And we already know that 37 percent of you are taking your laptops to bed with you.

Even worse, almost 50 percent of British men said they would give up sex for six months in exchange for a free 50-inch plasma television. Not disturbing enough? Only 25 percent would give up chocolate as part of the same deal.

One sure way to put a nail in your sex life's coffin is to put a TV in the bedroom. An Italian study showed that simply putting a television in the bed room cut the amount of sex a couple had in half.

We obviously love our tech and gadgets here at Switched, but we could never choose the Internet or TV over intercourse. What's wrong with you people?

From Shiny Shiny and MSNBC

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68% of Americans Suffer from 'Disconnect Anxiety'

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Mar 12th 2008 at 3:12PM

According to a recent study by the Solutions Research Group (Warning: PDF file), Americans just can't stand to be out of touch. According to the survey, 68 percent of Americans suffer from at least occasional disconnect anxiety when away from the computer or cell phone. The participants' feelings when away from the 'net range from general discomfort to inadequacy and panic.

Some other interesting statistics: Only 37 percent of laptop users frequently log on from their bed rooms, but 63 percent of Blackberry users admitted to using their device of choice while in the "washroom." That last number seemed particularly disturbing to our pals over at Engadget, but we'll be the first to admit that entire articles on Switched have been written from the comfort of the porcelain throne (desk?), which really just goes to show how terrified of being disconnected we are.

From Engadget

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Study Reveals What Your Kids Do Online

by Tim Stevens, posted Feb 14th 2008 at 9:57AM

Chances are you know reasonably well what you do online (whether or not you're willing to admit it to yourself). You shop, maintain virtual friendships, look for love, and maybe even gawk at some shady material. However, do you know what everyone else is doing online, particularly your kids? Symantec does, thanks to a survey of Internet users from eight countries around the world. While the results are mostly what you'd expect, there are some surprises in there.

Highlights of the survey are the differences in online habits in various countries. Globally, for example, 32-percent of people maintain personal blogs online (hi, mom!), but in China a whopping 86-percent of those surveyed keep personal blogs. Only 41-percent of the global respondents were willing to admit looking at pornographic material online, and about half felt "confident" shopping online. That global figure is actually brought down by the normally tech-friendly Japanese, of whom only 33-percent feel safe doing business over the Internet.

When it comes to children, 76-percent of U.S. teenagers aged 13-17 visit social networking sites, a statistic that explains the amazing popularity of MySpace. In China that number is up to 85-percent. Only about a third of those surveyed reported making friends online, however. That means most of those who are social networking are just connecting with their offline friends. Most interesting, and perhaps disturbing, was that 16-percent of kids surveyed reported being approached by a stranger online. When parents were asked how many kids were approached, they guessed just six percent.

So, again, no huge surprises, but some interesting glimpses at the current trends on the Internet, and perhaps some incentive for you parents out there to get your kids to be a little more open about what they're up to online.

From Marketwire

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Presidential Hopefuls Reveal Their Favorite Tech Toys

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Dec 21st 2007 at 3:04PM

We all know our presidential candidates must be carrying some serious techage with them. The Associated Press, of course, just simple had to know, which candidates prefer which gadgets.

But leave it Asylum to try and figure out what it all means. Mike Huckabee, former Republican Governor of Arkansas, prefers his bass and amp? Well, that means he could never be President. Asylum asks: "Can you imagine a President John Paul Jones or Bill Wyman?" Clearly the answer is no. And what of Hillary Clinton's choice of the iPod? It's a safe and middle of the road choice, just like everything else she does!

The survey of 12 to 17 year old boys and girls turned up some shocking information -- teens still prefer a good Joking aside, those menchildren over at Asylum might be on to something here. What does it mean that New Mexico Governor and Democratic hopeful Bill Richardson gave props to his "Crackberry?" Does it mean that Mr. Richardson is more current on his tech news and jargon? And what of Rudy Giuliani's response? The former mayor of New York City loves his CD player. Does that mean that a Giuliani presidency won't be able to acknowledge technology that came out after 1999?

What do you think? Can the candidates responses to the favorite gadget question give us insight into how they and their administration would be run?

From Asylum and the Associated Press

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Teens Still Prefer Landline Phones, Says Study

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Dec 20th 2007 at 5:18PM

The Pew Internet and American Life Project has been mighty busy as of late. Hot on the heels of its study that revealed that people like to Google themselves, but like to Google others even more is a fresh batch of stats about how teenagers communicate.

The survey of 12 to 17 year old boys and girls turned up some shocking information -- teens still prefer a good old-fashioned landline phone to other means of communication. 39 percent of teens said they talked to friends everyday via a landline phone. That's actually slightly more than the 35 percent who said they talked to friends on their cell phones everyday, but is almost twice the number who relied on social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace and good chunk more than those who used text messaging daily.

Not surprising is the lowly 14 percent who said they used e-mail daily. Past studies have already shown that young people are not fans of the oldest form of electronic communication.

One thing is for sure - they won't be using public pay phones for long, as AT&T plans to phase those out.

From USA Today

Gallery: Public Phones and Phone Booths of the World

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Stalker Alert -- 53 Percent of Adults Google Others

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Dec 19th 2007 at 12:20PM

The Internet has Turned Us Into a Bunch of Stalkers

The Internet has turned us all into a bunch of stalkers. Don't believe us? Then check out this poll from the Pew Internet research center. The same report that found that most American's hadn't Googled themselves reveals, by contrast, that a majority has Googled a friend or family member.

Why Google someone else? Well, many (36 percent) said that they searched for a friend they had lost touch with. Another good chunk (19 percent) were out looking for information on professional contacts, such as coworkers and competitors, with 11 percent specifically using Google as a tool to help weed out applicants for jobs.

Shockingly, though, only nine percent of adults have searched online for information about someone they were dating or a significant other. We would have thought it would have been a lot higher, but apparently it's okay to hop in the sack with any John or Sally, regardless of their Google-search-results profile.

Still, a full seven percent of fully embrace stalkerdom and return on a regular basis -- defined as more than "once or twice" -- to see if the information available online about the target of their creepy obsession has changed.

So, if you're regularly looking up information about anyone on Google, it might be time to take a good long look in the mirror and ask if you've crossed the line from curious to creepy. And yes, do this even if you're Googling yourself every few days, you self-centered jerk.

Check out the full report here (warning: PDF).

From ValleyWag

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Students Would Give Up Voting Rights for an iPod

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Nov 15th 2007 at 1:10PM

A recent survey of 3,000 undergraduate students at New York University shows that most kids are willing to sacrifice their right to vote for an iPod, among other things.

Sixty-six percent said they would be willing to give up their right to vote in the next presidential election for a year's tuition. But don't start shaking your head just yet -- it gets worse: Twenty percent said their right to vote next year could be bought for an iPod Touch. That's right, 600 of those surveyed said they would sit out the historic 2008 election for a $300 media player. For $1 Million, says the poll, half would give up their votes... forever.

The most bizarre part of the survey? 70.5 percent said that they believed that one vote could make a difference, including 70 percent of those who said they would sacrifice their right to vote. How these contradictory ideas could be held in one privileged child's head, we're not sure.

We understand that technology can drive people to do ridiculous things, but giving up the right to vote for an iPod is a new low. Check out this list of other insane things people have done for or because of technology:

From Politico (via Washington Square News)

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Salespeople Push LCD TVs More Than Plasmas, Study Finds

Study Finds That One-Third of Consumers Copy DVDs

82% of Americans Never Use Text Messaging

Gadget Buyers Seen as Arrogant and Assertive, Study Finds

Half the Songs on the Average Teen's iPod Are Illegal

Cell Phones More Important Than Wallets, Survey Says

70% of Workers Divulge Confidential Info In Public Over Cell Phones

Prepaid Cell Phones Could Earn an Extra $11 Billion for the Nation's Poorest

Gadgets Increasingly Ruining Sex Lives Around the World

68% of Americans Suffer from 'Disconnect Anxiety'

Study Reveals What Your Kids Do Online

Presidential Hopefuls Reveal Their Favorite Tech Toys

Teens Still Prefer Landline Phones, Says Study

Gallery: Public Phones and Phone Booths of the World

Stalker Alert -- 53 Percent of Adults Google Others

Students Would Give Up Voting Rights for an iPod

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