Web surfers keen on politics and privacy

Typical Netizens are more likely to log on at home, are registered voters and are 33 years old. Many also value on-line anonymity so much that they'd rather lie than share some information on line.

Those are the findings from the Georgia Institute of Technology's Fifth World Wide Web User Survey, out today.

Respondents filled out questionnaires on line in April for this latest survey, which for the first time asked about data privacy and politics. The results will be posted today at http://www.cc.gatech.edu/gvu/user_surveys.

Though they're not necessarily representative, the survey's 11,793 respondents "provide a quick snapshot" of the Web community, says Georgia Tech researcher Jim Pitkow.

More than one-fourth (26%) say they've given false information about themselves when asked to register at Web sites. There's no guarantee that respondents didn't lie on this survey, but the findings suggest that privacy is the issue.

For instance, 79% said they would submit their personal information at sites if told how it would be used. Only 6% said they would not give information under any circumstances.

Plus, most strongly agreed that "I ought to have the right to control" personal information and that content providers should not be able to sell it.

Other survey highlights:

• More than half (55%) now log on mainly from home.
• 91% say they're registered voters, and 63% voted recently (34% call themselves independents; 25%, Democrats; 21%, Republicans).
• One in 3 were women, up from 1 in 6 last year.
• As many respondents were married as were single.
• Average household income: $59,140.
• More shop on line (15%) than in the past (11%).

Georgia Tech's Graphics, Visualization & Usability Center has collected data from Web users every six months since January 1994, making it the oldest Web survey and well-respected among researchers.

By Leslie Miller, USA TODAY

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