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‘Searching’ an Internet for pleasure or to find any useful related content has become the most popular daily trend nowadays. The Pew Internet and American Project has revealed a report that contains a comprehensive survey based results of the Search habits of Americans. We all know and considered ‘Email’ as an ever green app that has been ruling Internet world for the long time. But its quiet astonishing that the Search mechanism has surpassed usage of the most perennial app and people are now more addicted to searching stuffs rather than to indulge themselves in an old existing email system.

According to a survey held by the Research Center, 50% of all Internet users are now using Search Engines on a ‘typical day’. While the other Internet Activities such as checking news (39%) or weather (30%) strikes out by Searching, that has  estimated a growth of 69% during past six years(from January 2002 to May 2008). Though Email is still ruling Internet with 60% of users, but has only increased by 15% which is a little growth as compare to the Searching growth(69%).

While there are number of  factors that render their effects on this notable growth. It greatly varies with an Internet Connection, education, yearly income and age. The survey reveals that socially upscale people are contributing mainly in the steep inline of the Search Engines. Younger people with high qualification & income and a broadband Internet connection are more likely to be induced in Searching. Below are the statistics that supports this point:

Education:

College graduate —— + 66%

Some college —— 49%

High school graduate or less —— 32%

 

Income:

$75,000 ——   + 62%

$50,000 ——   74,999 56%

$30,000 ——   49,999 34%

<$30,000 —— 36%

Broadband use:

Broadband at home —— 58%

Dial-up at home ———-  26%

Age:

18 – 29 years —— 55%

30 – 49 years —— 54%

50 – 64 years —— 40%

65 years and older ——27%

Gender:

Men —— 53%

Women —— 45%

While its worth mentioning that Search Engine itself plays an important role in gaining public’s attention and confidence. Users always play with an app that help them a lot or provides some key functionality that serves their working necessities. Improved performance, accurate and specific results and availability of wide range of content are some key points that have forced users to stick to the Search engines rather than to rely upon old bookmarking tools and traditional favourites. While Folks at Pew Internet Project suspect the steep increase because of the following reasons:

One likely reason is that users can now expect to find a high-performing, site-specific
growing mass of web content from blogs, news sites, image and video archives, personal
websites, and more, internet users have an option to turn not only to the major search
engines, but also to search engines on individual sites, as vehicles to reach the
information they are looking for.
Another reason may be related to the fact that fully 55% of American homes have a highspeed
internet connection.5 Of all the demographic variables we analyzed, the presence of
a home broadband connection had the strongest relationship with a user’s propensity to
use a search engine on a typical day. Previous studies have shown that when a user
upgrades to home broadband, she is more likely to turn to the internet first when she has a
question – and now she is increasingly likely to visit a search engine to find the answer.
Finally, it may be that general search engine sites have become so useful and well tuned
that people turn to them for an increasingly broad range of questions.

The Pew Research Center is a nonprofit “fact tank” that provides information on the issues,

attitudes and trends shaping America and the world.