AUSTIN, TEXAS – October 31, 2006
WHAT: The Wi-Fi Alliance, in conjunction with Kelton Research, today announced results of a nationwide survey measuring consumer use of Wi-Fi technology. Overall findings indicate that Wi-Fi is becoming the technology Americans want to protect and connect to at all times.
Among the key take-aways:
•Wi-Fi tops a trip to Starbucks. Think Americans rely on their daily cappuccino to get them going? Not as much as they rely on their Wi-Fi. Nearly nine out of ten Americans surveyed said they would rather do without Starbucks for a year than give up their Wi-Fi connection (89 percent vs. 11 percent). Young hipsters are the most willing to give up their caffeine, with nearly 92 percent of respondents age 18-29 choosing Wi-Fi over Starbucks, versus just 77 percent of those age 40-49.
•Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s Wi-Fi. Eighty-three percent of Americans agree that using someone else’s Wi-Fi without their knowledge is stealing. Although 17 percent of Americans see nothing wrong with using someone else’s network, more Americans are securing their networks to keep intruders out. More than 77 percent of Americans have activated the security features on their Wi-Fi network.
•Winning isn’t everything…but Wi-Fi is. Maybe sports fans aren’t as die-hard as we thought. Eight out of ten Americans said it would be worse to lose their Wi-Fi for a week than for their team to lose the big game this weekend. (81 percent vs. 19 percent). It appears the Midwest is home to the most devoted Wi-Fi fans, as 86 percent of respondents chose Wi-Fi over a big loss for their team. Sports fans in the West were the most loyal, although three out of four respondents considered losing Wi-Fi worse than a loss in the big game.
WHO: Survey respondents are representative of the total U.S. population, age 18 and older with broadband Internet access at home.
WHEN/HOW: The survey was conducted online by Kelton Research between September 29 and October 10, 2006 and included 549 nationally representative Americans. Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. Chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, +/- 4.2 percentage points, from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons represented by the sample.
All decimals are rounded to the nearest percentage point. This may result in certain numerical totals adding up to slightly more or slightly less than 100 percent.
About the Wi-Fi Alliance
The Wi-Fi Alliance is a global, non-profit industry association of more than 300 member companies devoted to promoting the growth of wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs). With the aim of enhancing the user experience for mobile wireless devices, the Wi-Fi Alliance’s testing and certification programs ensure the interoperability of WLAN products based on the IEEE 802.11 specification. Since the introduction of the Wi-Fi Alliance’s certification program in March 2000, more than 3,000 products have been designated as Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™, encouraging the expanded use of Wi-Fi products and services across the consumer and enterprise markets.
Media Contact:
To schedule a meeting with the Wi-Fi Alliance or receive a copy of the survey findings, contact: Dominic Ybarra, Edelman, +1 650-762-2960, dominic.ybarra@edelman.com.
WHAT: The Wi-Fi Alliance, in conjunction with Kelton Research, today announced results of a nationwide survey measuring consumer use of Wi-Fi technology. Overall findings indicate that Wi-Fi is becoming the technology Americans want to protect and connect to at all times.
Among the key take-aways:
•Wi-Fi tops a trip to Starbucks. Think Americans rely on their daily cappuccino to get them going? Not as much as they rely on their Wi-Fi. Nearly nine out of ten Americans surveyed said they would rather do without Starbucks for a year than give up their Wi-Fi connection (89 percent vs. 11 percent). Young hipsters are the most willing to give up their caffeine, with nearly 92 percent of respondents age 18-29 choosing Wi-Fi over Starbucks, versus just 77 percent of those age 40-49.
•Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s Wi-Fi. Eighty-three percent of Americans agree that using someone else’s Wi-Fi without their knowledge is stealing. Although 17 percent of Americans see nothing wrong with using someone else’s network, more Americans are securing their networks to keep intruders out. More than 77 percent of Americans have activated the security features on their Wi-Fi network.
•Winning isn’t everything…but Wi-Fi is. Maybe sports fans aren’t as die-hard as we thought. Eight out of ten Americans said it would be worse to lose their Wi-Fi for a week than for their team to lose the big game this weekend. (81 percent vs. 19 percent). It appears the Midwest is home to the most devoted Wi-Fi fans, as 86 percent of respondents chose Wi-Fi over a big loss for their team. Sports fans in the West were the most loyal, although three out of four respondents considered losing Wi-Fi worse than a loss in the big game.
WHO: Survey respondents are representative of the total U.S. population, age 18 and older with broadband Internet access at home.
WHEN/HOW: The survey was conducted online by Kelton Research between September 29 and October 10, 2006 and included 549 nationally representative Americans. Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. Chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, +/- 4.2 percentage points, from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons represented by the sample.
All decimals are rounded to the nearest percentage point. This may result in certain numerical totals adding up to slightly more or slightly less than 100 percent.
About the Wi-Fi Alliance
The Wi-Fi Alliance is a global, non-profit industry association of more than 300 member companies devoted to promoting the growth of wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs). With the aim of enhancing the user experience for mobile wireless devices, the Wi-Fi Alliance’s testing and certification programs ensure the interoperability of WLAN products based on the IEEE 802.11 specification. Since the introduction of the Wi-Fi Alliance’s certification program in March 2000, more than 3,000 products have been designated as Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™, encouraging the expanded use of Wi-Fi products and services across the consumer and enterprise markets.
Media Contact:
To schedule a meeting with the Wi-Fi Alliance or receive a copy of the survey findings, contact: Dominic Ybarra, Edelman, +1 650-762-2960, dominic.ybarra@edelman.com.