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CNN Live At Daybreak
Poll Reveals Generally Favorable Attitude Toward Internet
Aired July 10, 2001 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Some surprises on the number of people who use the Internet and how they use. CNN's science correspondent Ann Kellan is with us this morning, to tell us more about just what we do use the Internet for -- Ann.
ANN KELLAN, CNN SCIENCE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, and how we feel about the Internet. Apparently, we have a warm and fuzzy feel about the Internet. People doing a survey by -- for the Markle Foundation, used a thermometer to gauge our feelings and asked people to give us a temperature reading.
Internet users give it a 77, where nonusers were more noncommittal. They gave it about a 53. But that's pretty good considering the U.S. government and Congress gets 55 and Microsoft gets a 66. So, we rate the Internet high on the list. We like it. But there are some concerns and worries.
Let's take a look at some of the other results.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KELLAN (voice-over): The Girabaldi kids love sports, all kinds. When the boys aren't outside...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, we hit two home runs.
KELLAN: They could very well be inside online. In this household whether it's kids, mom, or dad, Internet means..
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Information. It might be something as simple as a recipe that I don't have, for travel.
KELLAN: According to a Markle Foundation telephone and online survey of U.S. adults, the Girabaldis are right on the mark. Despite the hype about the online mall, only 5 percent said the best thing about the Internet was shopping; 61 percent said the best thing was access to information.
(on camera): Do you feel confident that the information you're getting is true?
TERRY GIRABALDI, INTERNET USER: Oh, no. No.
KELLAN: Again, she's typical. Seventy percent question the truthfulness of most things they read online. For example, Giovanni found some mistakes in some online sports scores, so now...
GIOVANNI GIRABALDI, INTERNET USER: I watch on the TV to find out if the scores and everything on the Internet are right.
KELLAN: It bothers Terry that her surfing behavior is often tracked.
T. GIRABALDI: So, now I've been looking at flights. So now I get a pop-up ad from American Airlines and how fast was that?
KELLAN: Like Terry, more women than men are troubled by this, even though advertisers are just targeting a computer, not an individual. While the loss of personal privacy has many more concerns.
NOAH GIRABALDI, INTERNET USER: If you went the Internet next time and something just popped up and said, hey now, how do you like my shirt? Do you want to buy? That would probably scare me.
KELLAN: Along with privacy, scams and frauds, and children's access to adult material are the top concerns of adults surveyed online.
G. GIRABALDI: It just comes up and it says it right there. It says family filter.
KELLAN: The Girabaldis click on a box to filter certain material from their children's computer.
(on camera): People's feelings about the Internet have nothing to do with age. According to the survey, the more time people spend on the Internet, the more positive their feelings about it.
(voice-over): But it's unclear whether people who like it stay on, or whether the longer they stay, the more they like it.
T. GIRABALDI: I have to say I'm a little disappointed. It seems fairly disorganized to me. It seems that there's a lot of stuff and a lot of it is junk.
KELLAN: In this family, Terry is more critical of the Net than husband Eduardo, who shops, trades stocks, even does banking online.
EDUARDO GIRABALDI, INTERNET USER: It's great. It really has changed our lives, and I'm pretty sure there's more to come.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KELLAN: So, basically, whether we should police the Internet more, people were split on that. But one thing, 58 percent says businesses should not be allowed to police themselves.
Now what do you think of all of this? What are your feelings about the Internet? You can go to cnn.com, scroll down, and there's a little place here. It says "Ask Us" and you can send us your e-mail and your comments, and throughout the day we'll be telling other what you think about the Internet: the problems, concerns, and maybe how it should be regulated.
Back to you.
LIN: All right, thanks so much, Ann.
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