FC Roper Starch Survey: The Web

Here is a question-by-question sampling of the results of the latest Fast Company-Roper Starch Worldwide online survey. (Note: Because of rounding, percentages for some questions do not add up to 100.)

During a typical day, about how much time do you spend using the Internet (not including email) for work purposes?

None at all: 23%
1 to 30 minutes: 32%
31 to 59 minutes: 15%
1 to 2 hours: 16%
3 to 5 hours: 8%
6 to 10 hours: 3%
11 hours or more: 2%

During a typical day, about how much time do you spend using the Internet (not including email) for personal reasons?

None at all: 2%
1 to 30 minutes: 18%
31 to 59 minutes: 22%
1 to 2 hours: 36%
3 to 5 hours: 15%
6 to 10 hours: 4%
11 hours or more: 4%

In a typical day, how important is each of the following to helping you do your work? (Percentages indicate how many people said "very important" or "somewhat important.")

Conversations on the telephone: 78%
Voice-mail messages on the telephone: 59%
Email messages by computer: 64%
Face-to-face meetings : 73%
Access to the Web: 56%
Closing the door and taking time to think: 57%

How important is each of the following to helping you feel that you're in the loop at work? (Percentages indicate how many people said "very important" or "somewhat important.")

Conversations on the telephone: 78%
Voice-mail messages on the telephone: 57%
Email messages by computer: 65%
Face-to-face meetings: 79%
Access to the Web: 49%

Which of the following statements about communicating by email do you agree with? (Percentages indicate how many people said that they "agree" with each statement.)

"Email is basically no different from talking by phone": 25%
"Email allows me to avoid unwanted conversations": 78%
"Email gives me more control over when and how I communicate": 88%
"Email is a waste of time": 2%
"Email is more effective than meeting face-to-face": 20%
"I feel more pressure to reply to phone messages than to emails": 47%
"I spend more time on email than I should": 21%

How much do you agree with each of the following statements about using the Internet at work? (Percentages indicate how many people said that they "agree completely" or "agree somewhat" with each statement.)

"The Internet sounds great, but it doesn't help me in practice": 31%
"Using the Internet makes me more efficient": 62%
"Using the Internet just adds more work to my day": 13%
"Using the Internet is critical to my success" : 47%
"Much of the time spent on the Internet at work is really just playtime": 30%

Thinking about the Internet, please rate whether each one of the following is more of a reality or more of a myth.

"The Internet makes it easier for people to communicate"

Reality: 94%
Myth: 6%

"The Internet lets people get information quickly"

Reality: 96%
Myth: 4%

"The Internet empowers consumers"

Reality: 82%
Myth: 18%

"The Internet is replacing face-to-face interaction"

Reality: 48%
Myth: 52%

"The Internet makes shopping easier and more enjoyable"

Reality : 67%
Myth: 33%

"The Internet tears down many barriers to starting a business"

Reality: 70%
Myth: 30%

"The Internet will fundamentally change the way we work"

Reality: 85%
Myth: 15%

"The Internet will fundamentally change the way we live"

Reality: 85%
Myth: 15%

For each of the following pairs of options, choose the one that you'd rather have.

One hour to watch TV: 25%
One hour to explore the Web: 75%

Internet access at home: 59%
Cable-television access at home: 41%

Internet access in every room of your home: 52%
Satellite-TV access in every room of your home: 48%

The latest high-tech home-entertainment system: 23%
The latest high-tech personal-computer system: 77%

One hour of shopping in a mall: 52%
One hour of shopping on the Internet: 48%

Thinking about your expectations for the Internet over the next five years, please rate the likelihood of each of the following possibilities. (Percentages indicate how many people said each possibility is "very likely" or "somewhat likely.")