According to the results of a new survey conducted by Lycos, Inc., Internet users are more
concerned about credit card transaction security, privacy, and free access
to information than online violence and pornography.
Cyber Dialogue, an Internet
marketing researcher, designed and conducted the study for Lycos in an
attempt to gauge how “cybercitizens” are affected by Internet-related
concerns.
Lycos reported that 86% of respondents were either “Extremely Concerned” or
“Very Concerned” about the security of credit card numbers being
transmitted via the Net, while 75% were interested in protecting their
privacy.
The research revealed that 73% were concerned about the desire of special
interest groups to restrict certain information available on the Internet,
and 72% were preoccupied with potential government censorship.
On the lower end of the scale, 47% of respondents were worried about hate
group Web sites, 38% were concerned about the depiction of violence on the
Net, and only 30% registered concerns about the presence of pornography.
Lycos said users’ age and number of years they’ve spent online didn’t
affect worries about credit card security, and concerns over Internet-based
pornography and violence decreased the longer users have been online.
Interestingly, the research revealed that women were more likely than men
to be “extremely” or “very concerned” about credit card security.
Lycos’ Web User Study was based on the responses of 875 users, aged 18 or
older, randomly selected from the Cyber Dialogue panel of Internet search
and navigation center users.
