Study: Just 53% Use Search Engines Frequently

Posted on July 19, 2005

If you thought everyone used a search engine every time they are online you would be wrong according to a new study from icrossing and Harris Interactive. The study found that only 53% used a search engine most or every time they went online. Search Engine Watch reports that the study found that people search for things you would expect like information about hobbies, health, job information, directions, news, shopping and entertainment information. One surprising result from the study was that only 13% of the people surveyed reported that they always used Google -- so there is no search loyalty. Here are some other results from the study.

  • Over half (53%) of all US online adults use search engines most or every time they are online, trailing only e-mail and general surfing
  • Researching specific topics is the #1 search activity (by 88% of search engine users), followed by getting directions/maps (75%) and looking for news/info about current events (64%)
  • 56% of internet users do not know the difference between natural and paid search listings; males are more confident in reporting they know the difference - over 50% of males say they know, compared to about one-third of females
  • 54% of frequent Google users report knowing the difference between natural and paid listings; the next closest group is Yahoo! users at 42%

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