If stranded on a desert island with only a choice of having the Internet, a television or a telephone, 67 per cent of respondents in a poll conducted by America Online said they would choose a computer with Internet access. Twenty-three per cent said they would choose a telephone and only nine per cent said they would choose television.
America Online, with the help of Roper Starch Worldwide polled 1,001 online users, 18 years and older, in the United States with Internet access from their home. Half used AOL to access the Internet. It was discovered that 87 per cent said they would miss online access "a lot" if it wasn't available, and that it is a necessity.
Seventy-seven per cent felt that the Internet has made their lives better, 94 per cent said that the Internet makes it easier to communicate with family and friends, and 80 per cent said that being online makes many activities easier and more convenient.
The poll also found that, among respondents with children, about half said that the Internet is a more positive influence on their kids than television. Sixty-nine per cent said that it was "important" for kids to go online.
There were differences in usage depending on the age group. Users over the age of 50 are more likely to use the Internet to manage and plan their finances while those between the ages of 18 and 24 are likely to go online to socialize.
When going on vacation, 47 per cent of those who own laptops take them on vacation, and 26 per cent check their e-mail.
Women made up 57 per cent of new online users in the past 12 months.
The typical user, according to the poll is most likely to have graduated from college, be married, have kids under the age of 18 and to represent a higher income bracket.
Source:America Online and Roper Starch Worldwide, cited in The Financial Post, December 17, 1998
