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hbgator

Fri 23 Nov, 2007


China online users more likely to be Web "addicts"

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Chinese Internet users are more likely to depend on their online experiences,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> and see the Web as a key to socializing and sharing opinions,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> than their U.S.<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> counterparts,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> according to a study released on Friday.<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>
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A survey of more than 2,100 Internet users aged 16 to 25 years old in both countries showed that about 42 percent of users in China said they at times felt <b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>"addicted"<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> to their Web use compared with 18 percent of U.S.<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> users.<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>
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The study was conducted by Internet conglomerate IAC/InterActiveCorp and advertising agency JWT,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> part of WPP Group.<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>
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The surveys were taken online in November,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> in English and in Chinese.<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> The study noted that only about 10 percent of China's population uses the Internet,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> with a higher proportion of them young men living in major cities.<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>
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Nearly 25 percent of Chinese users said they would not be able to spend more than a day without the Internet compared with 12 percent of U.S.<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> participants.<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>
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Less than a third of Americans said the Internet contributes to their social life,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> but 77 percent of Chinese users said the Web helped them make friends.<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>
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Nearly three-quarters of Chinese users said they were free to do and say things online that they would not do in the real world,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> compared with 32 percent of U.S.<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> users.<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>