The Internet is now such an integral part of the life of college students
that more than 80 percent have made an online purchase and 31 percent
describe themselves as “Internet dependent,” according to a new study.
The new Pulsefinder On-Campus Market Study, a joint project
by Greenfield Online and YouthStream Media Networks
also found that more than a quarter (28 percent) of today’s college kids
consider
themselves “cybergeeks.”
“College students are leading edge Internet users. Their online habits could
demonstrate the future direction of the Internet,” said Rudy Nadilo,
president and chief executive officer of Greenfield Online.
The vast majority of students (81 percent) have made an online purchase, the
study found. And this number has increased significantly since November 1998,
when 51 percent had made a purchase online.
The most common items purchased are CDs (64 percent), books (58 percent),
clothing (42 percent) and concert/theater/event tickets (32 percent). And a
quarter of college students have purchased textbooks online at sites like amazon.com, varsitybooks.com, ecampus.com bigwords.com and barnesandnoble.com.
Those students who buy textbooks online describe the process as “inexpensive”
(77 percent), “more convenient” (49 percent) and “easier” (42
percent). Ten percent also like the sites’ guaranteed book buy-back, the
study found.
Surprisingly, the main reason students do not purchase textbooks online is
“inconvenience” (49 percent). Other reasons not to buy textbooks online
include “shipping charges” (31 percent), “poor selection” (22 percent) and
“have to pay to return the book” (18 percent).
Nearly all the students surveyed (92 percent) own a computer. The majority of
students (78 percent) have been using the Internet for at least three years,
and 90 percent go online at least once a day. They spend an average of three
hours online every day, and 20 percent spend four or more hours online each
day.
The 120-page study of 1,135 students, drawn from an online research panel of
30,000 four-year-college students recruited by research firm Greenfield
Online and
YouthStream Media Networks, is part of an on-going tracking study conducted
quarterly during the academic year.
YouthStream Media Networks serves the young adult market through its online
and off-line family of holdings, including sixdegrees.com.