Number of "Cyberchondriacs" - U.S. Adults Who Go Online for Health Information - Increases to Estimated 117 Million

The Harris Poll® #54, July 15, 2005 Number of "Cyberchondriacs" – U.S. Adults Who Go Online for Health Information – Increases to Estimated 117 Million Despite a decrease over the last three years in the percentage of online U.S. adults who have ever searched the Internet for health-related information (from 80% in 2002 to 72% now), the actual number of adults who have ever searched for health information online (Harris Interactive® refers to them as "cyberchondriacs") has grown due to an increase in the percentage of U.S. adults who go online (from 66% in 2002 to 74% in 2005). The percentage of cyberchondriacs who search sometimes or often appears to also be on the rise. Most adults who have ever looked for health information online have been generally successful in finding what they are looking for and believe the information to be at least somewhat reliable. Furthermore, many of these people use this information in their discussions with their doctors or use the Internet to help augment the information that doctors provide them. These are some of the results of a nationwide Harris Poll of 1,015 U.S. adults surveyed by telephone by Harris Interactive between June 7 and 12, 2005. Specifically the survey found: The number of U.S. adults who have ever gone online to look for health or medical information has increased to approximately 117 million up from about 111 million last year. The main reason for this increase seems to be that the total number of Internet users has been increasing (from 69% of all U.S. adults in 2004 to 74% now). Cyberchondriacs now represent 72 percent of all online adults, down slightly from last year’s 74 percent. However, compared to last year, online adults appear to be searching the Internet for health-related information more frequently. Almost six in 10 (58%) say that they have looked for information about health topics often (25%) or sometimes (33%), an increase of eight percentage points from 2004 (50%). The percentage who says they hardly ever search for health information has dropped to 14 percent, down from 24 percent last year. Eighty-five percent of those who have ever searched the Internet for health information have done so one or more times in the last month. This is up substantially from last year when 60 percent said that they had gone online one or more times in the past month looking for health information. On average, a cyberchondriac searches the Internet almost seven times per month, an increase from five times per month a year ago and three times per month four years ago in 2001. A large majority of cyberchondriacs (89%) indicate that they were successful in searching for health information online. Forty-six percent say that they were very successful and another 43 percent say they were somewhat successful. Among those cyberchondriacs who search for health information often, those saying they were very successful increased to 60 percent. Conversely, only a third (32%) of cyberchondriacs who hardly search for health information say that their searching was very successful. Nine in 10 (90%) cyberchondriacs say that the health information they found online has been reliable (37% "very reliable" and 53% "somewhat reliable"). Cyberchondriacs are not only using the Internet to better educate themselves but many are also using it to assist in their discussion with their physicians. By 57 to 43 percent, a majority of adults who have gone online to get health information say that they have discussed this information with their doctor at least once. Furthermore, just over half (52%) of cyberchondriacs have searched for health information based on a discussion with their doctor. Those who often use the Internet to find medical information are even more inclined to discuss this information with their doctor or to search for information based on a discussion with their doctor. Over half (53%) at least sometimes talk to their doctor about information that they found online. A higher 70 percent have gone to the Internet to look for presumably additional information to supplement what their doctors have told them. TABLE 1 CYBERCHONDRIACS: TRENDS   1998 1999 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005   % % % % % % % Percent of all adults who are online* 38 46 63 66 67 69 74 Percent of all those online who have looked for health information 71 74 75 80 78 74 72 Percent of all adults who have looked for health information online 27 34 47 53 52 51 53 Percent of all adults who have looked for health information online in last month NA NA 27 32 NA 31 45 Estimated number of adults who have looked for health information online+ 54 million 69 million 97 million 110 million 109 million 111 million 117 million Note: Percentages may not add up exactly to 100% due to rounding. *Includes those online from home, office, school, library or other location + Based on July 2004 U.S. Census estimate released January 2005 (220,000,000 total U.S. adults aged 18 or over) NA = Not Asked TABLE 2 FREQUENCY OF ACCESSING HEALTH INFORMATION ONLINE: 1998-2005 "How often do you look for information online about health topics – often, sometimes, hardly ever or never?" Base: Have access to Internet   1998 1999 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005   % % % % % % % Often 12 13 16 18 17 19 25 Sometimes 30 30 30 35 37 31 33 Hardly ever 29 31 30 27 23 24 14 Never 29 26 25 20 22 26 29 Total who have looked for health or medical information sometimes or often 42 43 46 53 54 50 58 Total who have ever looked for health or medical information 71 74 75 80 78 74 72 Note: Percentages may not add up exactly to 100% due to rounding TABLE 3 FREQUENCY OF LOOKING FOR HEALTH INFORMATION IN LAST MONTH "About how many times have you looked for information online about health topics in the last month?" Base: Ever look for health information online   2001 2002 2003 2004 2005   % % % % % Not once 40 39 NA 21 14 1 or more (NET) 58 60 NA 60 85 1 or 2 times 29 34 NA 26 31 3 – 5 times 17 16 NA 14 29 6 – 9 times 3 2 NA 5 6 10 or more times 9 8 NA 15 19 Not sure 2 1 NA 19 1 Mean (average) 3.0 4.8 NA 5.1 6.8 Median 1.1 2.0 NA 2.0 3.0 Note: Percentages may not add up exactly to 100% due to rounding. NA = Not asked in 2003 TABLE 4 Successful in Searching for Information Online about Health Topics "How successful were you in your search for information online about health topics? Were you…?" Base: Ever look for health information online     Frequency of Looking for Health Information Online   Total Often Sometimes Hardly   % % % % Very successful 46 60 45 32 Somewhat successful 43 34 48 36 Neither successful nor unsuccessful 2 1 2 7 Somewhat unsuccessful 3 3 2 10 Very unsuccessful 3 2 2 8 Not sure/Decline to answer 3 1 1 7 Note: Percentages may not add up exactly to 100% due to rounding. TABLE 5 Reliability of Searching for Information Online about Health Topics "How reliable do you believe this information is concerning health topics? Is it …?" Base: Ever look for health information online     Frequency of Looking for Health Information Online   Total Often Sometimes Hardly   % % % % Very reliable 37 45 34 30 Somewhat reliable 53 49 57 48 Neither reliable nor unreliable 4 4 4 5 Somewhat unreliable 3 1 2 10 Very unreliable 2 1 1 2 Not sure/Decline to answer 1 - 1 4 Note: Percentages may not add up exactly to 100% due to rounding. TABLE 6 Discussion with Doctor About Information Found Online "In the past year, have you ever discussed with your doctor the information you found online?" Base: Ever look for health information online     Frequency of Looking for Health Information Online   Total Often Sometimes Hardly   % % % % Yes (NET) 57 73 57 33 Yes, always do 15 24 11 4 Yes, sometimes do 25 29 25 12 Yes, have done once or twice 18 20 21 17 No, never do 43 27 42 66 Not sure/Decline to answer * - 1 1 Note: Percentages may not add up exactly to 100% due to rounding * Less than 0.5 percent. TABLE 7 Frequency of Searching Medical Information Online Based on Discussion with Doctor "Have you ever searched for medical information on the Internet based on a discussion with your doctor?" Base: Ever look for health information online     Frequency of Looking for Health Information Online   Total Often Sometimes Hardly   % % % % Yes (NET) 52 70 52 30 Yes, often 17 26 14 3 Yes, sometimes 36 44 38 27 No, never 48 30 47 71 Not sure/Decline to answer * - * - Note: Percentages may not add up exactly to 100% due to rounding * Less than 0.5 percent. Methodology The Harris Poll® was conducted by telephone within the United States between June 7 and 12, 2005 among a nationwide cross section of 1,015 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race, education, number of adults, number of voice/telephone lines in the household, region and size of place were weighted where necessary to align them with their actual proportions in the population. In theory, with a probability sample of this size, one can say with 95 percent certainty that the overall results have a sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points of what they would be if the entire U.S. adult population had been polled with complete accuracy. Sampling error for those who have Internet access (764) and those who have ever looked for health information online (623) is higher and varies. Unfortunately, there are several other possible sources of error in all polls or surveys that are probably more serious than theoretical calculations of sampling error. They include refusals to be interviewed (nonresponse), question wording and question order, interviewer bias, weighting by demographic control data and screening (e.g., for likely voters). It is impossible to quantify the errors that may result from these factors. These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls. J24423 Q755, Q760, Q765, Q770, Q775, Q780

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