That was one finding of a survey of 3,030 adults, which also found people:
- Increasingly dependent on and concerned about uses of the Internet;
- Optimistic that the U.S. will not lag behind the rest of the world in recovering from this recession;
- Ambivalent about the ability of the U.S. to produce the next wave of technology innovators on the level of Microsoft founder Bill Gates;
- Overwhelmingly believing that the average 10-year-old knows more about the Internet than their Congressperson.
This survey is the first in a joint venture between Zogby International and 463 Communications which will be called Zogby 463. The new relationship between the two companies was announced at a panel discussion in Washington, D.C., at the Regency Hotel, where results of this survey were discussed.
Here are details of the survey, which has a margin of error of +/-1.8%.
Technology & the U.S. Economy
Respondents were asked whether America should "stick with more traditional jobs in manufacturing and other long-standing industries" or "focus on high-tech and jobs in the service industry." Here are the results:
|
America Should Focus On... |
% |
|
Manufacturing & traditional industries |
28% |
|
High-tech and service jobs |
50% |
|
Don't know & other |
22% |
They were also asked to choose from six industries and choose the one "best positioned to weather the current economic downturn." Here are the results:
|
Industry best positioned |
% |
|
Health care |
32% |
|
Technology |
32% |
|
Service |
12% |
|
Agriculture |
11% |
|
Retail |
2% |
|
Automobile |
1% |
|
Not sure |
10% |
When asked to compare whether the U.S. will come out of the recession before, after or at the same time as the rest of the world, only 13 percent said we would do so "after other major economies." For the others, 32 percent said the U.S. would be the first and 43% said the U.S. recovery will coincide with the rest of the world.
For each of these questions, the responses of self-identified members of the Investor Class were not significantly different than those of non-investors.
U.S. Technology & Innovation
Two questions were asked about the ability of the U.S. and other nations to produce another technology innovator like Bill Gates. The first asked from which country "the next Bill Gates" was most likely to come. Here are the results:
|
Nation most likely to produce "next Bill Gates" |
% |
|
U.S. |
29% |
|
India |
28% |
|
China |
15% |
|
Japan |
11% |
|
Brazil |
2% |
|
Russia |
1% |
|
Other/Not sure |
14% |
The second asked if the economic, educational and societal conditions still exist in the U.S. to produce another Gates. Exactly two-thirds (67 percent) said yes, 19 percent said no and 14 percent were not sure.
There was no consensus on the question of what is the most important issue tech companies should be trying to solve. Here is how they ranked:
|
Issue tech companies should solve |
% |
|
Energy dependence & efficiency |
24% |
|
Improve education for global economy |
22% |
|
Keeping U.S. safe from physical & virtual attack |
21% |
|
Health care cost & accessibility |
19% |
|
Enable new business models |
8% |
|
Ensure internet and high tech access to all |
2% |
|
Not sure |
4% |
The Internet & Us
Nearly nine in 10 of U.S. adults say that if the Internet stopped working for three days, it would have an impact on their lives. Here are the results:
|
Personal impact of 3-day Internet shutdown |
% |
|
Dramatic impact |
32% |
|
Minor impact |
54% |
|
No impact |
13% |
Percentages were greatest among younger adults, but even for those over age 70, 74 percent said they would be impacted. Income level was not a significant factor.
More than 60 percent believe there should be some regulation of the Internet. Here are the choices provided and responses:
- 30 percent believe the Internet should be regulated as television is;
- 31 percent believe Internet content should have a government rating system similar to that of the movie industry;
- 32 percent believe any regulation or blocking of Internet video is unconstitutional.
Opposition to any regulation or ratings was greater among 18- to 29-year-olds (42 percent say it is unconstitutional), while the desire for regulation increased with age to 70 percent of those 65 and over who want either a rating system or TV-style regulation. Political Independents (41 percent) are more likely than Democrats (24 percent) or Republicans (34 percent) to oppose rating or regulation.
Adults are solidly opposed to Internet voting.
- 61 percent say Internet voting would be bad;
- 28 percent say it would be good;
- 12 percent say it would make no difference.
Finally, we asked whether people thought the average 10-year-old or their Congressperson knew more about the Internet, 83 percent chose the child and 9 percent the Congressperson.
Zogby International is headed by President and CEO, John Zogby, author of The Way We'll Be: A Zogby Report on the Transformation of the American Dream. The company has been tracking public opinion since 1984 in 73 nations. Visit www.zogby.com.
463 Communications is a strategic communications firm specializing in technology policy, corporate strategy, reputation management and the development and execution of business, technology and public policy campaigns. 463 has offices in Washington, DC and Palo Alto and is part of the Next Fifteen Communications Group. Visit www.463.com.
