Consumer confidence in the Internet rises in the U.S. and Japan
Consumer confidence in the Internet is on the rise in the U.S. and Japan, but declining in the United Kingdom, France and Germany, according to the third Internet Confidence and Safety Survey from Trend Micro, a network antivirus and Internet security provider.
In the U.S., survey respondents who view the Internet as being “very safe” increased to 53% in August 2007 from 45% in February 2007, the study found. The survey is repeated at six-month intervals.
U.S. respondents who believe the Internet will be much safer in the next six months also increased, to 32% in August from 26% in February. The survey also found that as U.S. consumers have more confidence in the Internet, they engage in behavior that entails additional risk, such as online banking and using public hotspots for Wi-Fi access.
Japan experienced an 18% increase in consumer confidence and perceived safety of the Internet, to 27% in August from 9% in February, according to the study. The percentage of Japanese respondents who had infected computers within the past six months dropped to 13% in August from 17% in February. Respondents who are “very confident” their Internet security software is protecting their computer increased to 41% in August from 26% in February.
Other findings from the survey included:
• In France, in August 46% of respondents said they were “very confident” their Internet security software is protecting their computers, down 11% from February.
• In Germany, survey respondents who said they believe the Internet will be much safer in the next six months dropped to 18% in August from 28% in February.
The overall global confidence and safety score increased from a confidence index of 39.9 in February to 40.7 in August, Trend Micro says.
The study was based on responses in August from 1,500 consumers in the U.S., Japan, UK, France and Germany.
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