Survey Says Internet Users Confuse Search Results, Ads

irishdaze writes "ABC News is reporting that apparently only 18% of adult web searchers can tell the difference between actual search results and advertisements. In addition to this astounding conclusion, the Pew Internet and American Life Project's survey of 2,200 adults (only 1,399 of which are actual internet users, mind you) also indicates that 92% of web searchers feel they are confident in their own searching abilities."

Comments

Survey Says Irishdaze Confused By Math

[Some guy named Chris]

92% of web searchers

Dude, relax. They are saying they interviewed 2200 adults. A certain percentage of those reported they were web searchers (probably somewhere near that 1399 number you quoted). Then, of that number, 90% of THEM feel confident in their own searching abilities.

In other words, nothing to see here, move along. Still, it's more fun to blame Pew than your own analytical skills.

only 2200?

[TheQwe]

that sounds like a very small chunk of adults to perform such a study on.

Re:only 2200?

[rumblin'rabbit]

This is a not bad sample size at all. Statistics 101 goes into such things.

One serious problem is that this is not a random sample. It's only a sample of that portion of the population willing to answer telephone surveys - not a group I would want to base important decisions on.

A second problem is that we don't know how many surveyed just make up answers at random. The 90-year-old cross-dressing skate boarders from Baton Rouge are particularly into this.

Not so surprising

[Anonymous Coward]

I keep hearing it quoted that 80% of people think they're above-average drivers, too. People who are complete idiots never seem to realise how bad they are at things.

submitter is confused

[Anarchos]

"When I do the math, 92% of 2200 is 2024. This means that Pew/Internet is saying that more people are confident with their web searching skills than actually use the Internet. Saying that something is wrong here just doesn't cover it."

The article says "92% of web searchers" not 92% of the respondents. Only 1399 respondents used the internet, and it is possible that some of those don't do web searches. The submitter of this article is an idiot.

Re:Nothing for you to see here. Please move along.

[cayenne8]

I dunno...I think it says the average person, is an idiot. And, if you've ever had to work retail or food service while growing up...this will confirm that this is true. And NOT just with computer use...

:-)

Re:Because

[seanvaandering]

Has it ever occured that due to information overload on the Internet that people now speed read just about everything they see? I do, and had to re-read your comment again just to to see the second 'to'. ;)

Re:Nothing for you to see here. Please move along.

[anonicon]

"I think it says the average person, is an idiot."

Yes-indeedee, you are correct. Hopefully, with the proliferation of braindead, thought-numbing programming like "Survivor," "Who's My Daddy," and "The Bachelorette," more marginal cases will slide down the tube that precludes them from ever having to think critically, thus freeing up salary and promotion space for the rest of us.

>;-)

Re:How could anyone be confused?

[Mistlefoot]

This is also a "phone survey". Asking someone whether or not they know the difference is not the same as them knowing the difference.

Re:Nothing for you to see here. Please move along.

[jimicus]

You are assuming that the people doing the promoting will themselves be smart enough to spot the people worth promoting.

Re:you insensitive clod !

[Cmdr TECO]

Actually, black-and-white monitors are now prohibitively expensive, due to lack of demand. This is unfortunate for two reasons. First, monochrome monitors don't suffer from colour fringing from dot beating or misconvergence. Second, if common video cards supported greyscale displays, we could have, roughly speaking, better resolution by a factor of sqrt(3) for the same price. In return for sharp 200dpi text I'd gladly leave behind cartoonish GUI "features" and even make do with greyscale pr0ns.