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Computers and Technology	See also: Business News \| Education (violent web sites) \| Entertainment \| Government & Politics (Internet voting) \| Journalism

Polls listed chronologically. Data are from nationwide surveys of Americans 18 & older.

Associated Press-Ipsos poll conducted by Ipsos-Public Affairs. Dec. 13-15, 2005. N=1,006 adults nationwide. MoE ± 3.1 (for all adults).
						.
"I’m going to read you a list of devices and services you might have in your home or car. For each one, please tell me if anyone in your household has or uses the device or service. . . ."
						.
				Yes	No	Unsure
				%	%	%
	A VCR			88	12	-
						.
	A CD player			88	12	-
						.
	A DVD player			82	18	-
						.
	A cell phone			75	25	-
						.
	A personal computer			75	25	-
						.
	An electronic gaming console, like a Playstation or Xbox			39	61	-
						.
	A portable gaming device, like a Gameboy or PSP			30	70	-
						.
	A high-definition television set or HDTV			28	71	1
						.
	A DVR recorder, like a TiVO or a set-top box from your television provider that records shows			25	74	1
						.
	An MP3 player, like an iPod			24	76	-
						.
	Satellite radio, like XM radio or Sirius radio			14	86	-
						.
"Does your household currently subscribe to cable TV or a satellite dish service like DirecTV or the Dish network?"
						.
		Cable TV	Dish	Both	Neither
		%	%	%	%
	12/13-15/05	51	26	1	22
						.
"Do you have Internet access in your home, or not?"
						.
		Yes	No
		%	%
	12/13-15/05	68	32
						.
	Asked of those with Internet access in their home: "Do you have high-speed Internet service, such as a cable or DSL hook-up, or is your Internet access through a dial-up telephone modem?"
						.
		High-speed	Dial-up	Unsure
		%	%	%
	12/13-15/05	61	37	2
						.
"Thinking about cable or satellite television -- Would you prefer to be able to choose and pay for your own tailored selection of TV channels or would you prefer to buy a bundle of channels where the channels are chosen by the cable or satellite company?"
						.
		Tailored Selection	Bundle	Unsure
		%	%	%
	12/13-15/05	78	15	7
						.
"How interested would you be in watching television shows on a portable device like an MP3 player or iPod, where you would pay $1.99 for a television show that you could take on the road with you? Would you say you would be very interested, somewhat interested, not too interested, or not at all interested?"
						.
		Very Interested	Somewhat Interested	Not Too Interested	Not at All Interested
		%	%	%	%
	12/13-15/05	4	15	17	64
						.
"How interested would you be in purchasing television service from your telephone company, if the telephone company offered more choice in channel selection at a price that would be competitive with the cable and satellite TV companies? Would you say you would be very interested, somewhat interested, not too interested, or not at all interested?"
						.
		Very Interested	Somewhat Interested	Not Too Interested	Not at All Interested	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	12/13-15/05	22	42	10	25	1

Gallup Poll. Dec. 5-8, 2005. Adults nationwide.
						.
"Now turning to computers -- How much time, if at all, do you personally spend using the Internet: more than an hour a day, up to one hour a day, a few times a week, a few times a month or less, or never?" N=1,013, MoE ± 3
						.
		More Than an Hour a Day	Up to One Hour a Day	Few Times A Week	Few Times a Month or Less	Never
		%	%	%	%	%
	12/5-8/05	33	18	13	9	27
	12/5-8/04	32	16	19	8	25
	12/11-14/03	27	20	15	10	27
	12/5-8/02	26	16	18	12	28
						.
"How often do you, yourself, use the Internet to do the following: frequently, occasionally, rarely or never? How about for [see below]?" N=759 Internet users, MoE ± 4
						.
				Frequently	Occasionally	Rarely/Never
				%	%	%
	Sending and reading e-mail			67	20	13
						.
	Checking news and weather			45	27	28
						.
	Paying bills online			27	13	60
						.
	Making travel plans			19	33	48
						.
	Shopping			18	34	48
						.
	Budgeting personal finances			17	12	70
						.
	Using instant messaging			16	12	72
						.
	Playing games			16	12	72
						.
	Finding medical advice			10	31	59
						.
	Downloading music			10	12	78
						.
	Reading "blogs" or web logs			9	11	79
						.
	Watching video web casts or video clips			8	14	78
						.
	Buying or selling products in online auctions, such as on eBay			7	16	77

ABC News/Washington Post Poll. March 10-13, 2005. N=1,001 adults nationwide. MoE ± 3. Fieldwork by TNS.
						.
"How much do you worry that computers and technology are being used to invade your privacy? Is that something you worry about a lot, some, not much or not at all?"
						.
		A Lot	Some	Not Much	Not At All	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	3/10-13/05	23	34	24	18	1
	1/00	15	26	24	33	2
	6/94	9	29	34	27	1
						.
"Have you personally ever had someone steal and misuse your credit card number or other personal information, or not?"
						.
		Yes	No
		%	%
	3/10-13/05	22	78
	3/01	22	78
						.
"How concerned are you about having records containing your personal information stolen over the Internet: very concerned, somewhat concerned, not too concerned, or not concerned at all?"
						.
		Very	Somewhat	Not Too	Not At All
		%	%	%	%
	3/10-13/05	40	32	17	11
						.
"As you may know there are some companies that collect and sell information about people such as their Social Security number, credit card payment history, and public records such as drivers license, real estate, court and military service records. Do you think the companies that collect and sell this information are doing enough to protect your personal privacy, or not?"
						.
		Enough	Not Enough	Unsure
		%	%	%
	3/10-13/05	13	84	3

CBS News/New York Times Poll. Sept. 15-16, 2003. N=675 adults nationwide. MoE ± 4 (total sample).
					.
"How closely have you followed the issue of people sharing music for free through the Internet? Would you say you've followed it very closely, somewhat closely, not very closely, or not at all?"
		ALL	18-29 Years Old	30 & Older
		%	%	%
	Very closely	8	13	7
	Somewhat closely	31	39	29
	Not very closely	23	19	24
	Not at all	37	28	40
	Don't know	1	1	0
					.
	Asked of those who have followed the issue: "When it comes to sharing music over the Internet for free, which comes closest to your view? (1) Sharing music files over the Internet is ALWAYS acceptable, no matter how many copies are made, or by whom. OR, (2) Sharing music files over the Internet is SOMETIMES acceptable, if a person shares music from a CD he or she owns with a limited number of friends or acquaintances. OR (3), Sharing music files over the Internet is NEVER acceptable because it deprives musicians and music companies of their income."
		ALL	18-29 Years Old	30 & Older
		%	%	%
	Always acceptable	14	29	9
	Sometimes acceptable	44	40	46
	Never acceptable	37	30	40
	Don't know	5	1	5

FOX News/Opinion Dynamics Poll. Sept. 9-10, 2003. N=900 registered voters nationwide. MoE ± 3 (total sample).
					.
"Recently the recording industry has sued students and other individuals who have downloaded music over the Internet. Do you approve or disapprove of people downloading music over the Internet?"
		Approve	Dis- approve	Unsure
		%	%	%
	ALL	35	47	18
	Age 18-34	61	35	4
	35-50	39	47	14
	51-59	38	43	19
	60-70	20	53	28
	Over 70	11	58	30
					.
"Have you personally downloaded music over the Internet without paying a fee?"
		Yes	No	Unsure
		%	%	%
	ALL	15	81	4
	Age 18-34	32	63	4
	35-50	21	77	3
	51-59	7	91	2
	60-70	5	92	3
	Over 70	2	90	8

The Harris Poll. Dec. 14-21, 2000. N=618 adults nationwide who are Internet users. MoE ± 3.
			.
"Thinking about what you do online, how often do you use the Internet, World Wide Web, or an online service [see below]: very often, often, sometimes, rarely, or never?"
		Very Often/ Often/ Sometimes
		%
	To send or receive e-mail	89
	To check on news updates, weather, etc.	68
	To get information about a hobby or special interest	67
	To gather information about products and services	62
	To do research for work or school	61
	To surf to explore new and different sites	60
	To obtain information about health or diseases	48
	To obtain information on local amusements and activities	42
	To make travel plans and reservations	39
	To find and download software	38
	For financial management and investing	31
	To download or play games	28
	To participate in chat groups	13
	To take courses	9

FOX News/Opinion Dynamics Poll. June 7-8, 2000. N=900 registered voters nationwide. MoE ± 3.
						.
"In general, how concerned are you about your ability to keep your personal information, such as medical or financial records, confidential . . . ?"
		%
	Very	69
	Somewhat	17
	Not very	6
	Not at all	7
	Not sure	1
						.
"Do you think it is getting easier or harder to keep your personal information confidential?"
		%
	Easier	4
	Harder	90
	Same (vol.)	3
	Not sure	3
						.
"Do you think electronic mail (e-mail) is secure and private?"
		ALL	Internet Users
		%	%
	Yes	8	10
	No	80	85
	Not sure	12	5
						.
"Do you believe personal information, such as your Social Security number or credit rating, can be found on the Internet?"
		ALL	Internet Users
		%	%
	Yes	84	89
	No	8	6
	Not sure	8	5
						.
"Do you think personal information on the Internet is secure?"
		ALL	Internet Users
		%	%
	Yes	4	5
	No	89	91
	Not sure	7	4
						.
"How concerned are you that your [see below] can be found on the Internet . . . ?"
		Very	Some- what	Not Very	Not At All	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	Social Security number	75	15	4	4	2
	Credit card numbers	74	11	4	8	3
	Financial records