Hi there. I'm the Internet. I like romantic dinners, long walks on the beach and....

It won’t make you dinner or rub your feet, but nearly one in four Americans say that the Internet can serve as a substitute for a significant other for some period of time, according to a new poll released today by us kids at 463 Communications and Zogby International. (All the details follow after the jump...)

The poll found that 24% of Americans said the Internet could serve as a replacement for a significant other.

Other interesting tidbits:

- More than half of Americans believe that Internet content such as video should be controlled in some way by the government. Twenty-nine percent said it should be regulated just like television content while 24% said government should institute an online rating system similar to the one used by the movie industry. In contrast, only 36%  said the blocking of Internet video would be unconstitutional.

- Only 33% of 18 to 24 year-olds supported government stepping in on content, while 72% of those over 70 years of age support government regulation and ratings.

- More than one in four Americans has a social networking profile such as MySpace or Facebook. Among 18-24 year-olds, it’s almost mandatory – 78% of them report having a social networking profile.  More Democrats have a social networking presence than Republicans (32%  to 22% ).  But few Americans say it plays a large role in their identity as a person. Only 14%  say the Internet is an important part of what they consider to be their identity; 68%  responded it’s just how they identity themselves online; it’s not really who they are.

- Americans may love the Internet, but most are not prepared to implant it into their brain, even if it was safe. Only 11% of respondents said they be willing to safely implant a device that enabled them to use their mind to access the Internet. Interestingly, men were much more willing than women. Seventeen percent of men said they were up for it while only 7% of women wanted to access the Internet using their mind.

- While most Americans don’t want the Internet implanted in their brain, they are more willing to insert a chip into a child 13 or younger to help track them if they are lost, abducted, or just tend not to be where they are supposed to be. Nearly one in five Americans said they would do so to track a child’s whereabouts. Interestingly, there was no difference in opinion among parents who had younger children and those who did not.

- Most Americans don’t think the Internet has had an effect on their spirituality. Ten percent said it made them closer to God, while 6% percent said it made them more distant. Those who call themselves “Born Again” were the most likely to feel it affected them spiritually. Twenty percent of Born Agains said it made them closer while 11%  said it made them more distant from God.

- Despite the hype surrounding the launch of the iPhone and the adoration that its biggest fans hold for the device, people still find other people more attractive.  When asked who or what is sexier, the vast majority of Americans don’t think the Apple’s phone gets their blood flowing like Halle Berry, Scarlett Johansson, or Patrick Dempsey does.  In the face-off of good-looking stars versus smart-phone, Berry dropped the most jaws with 27 percent of the responses.  Johansson got 17% and Dempsey 14 percent.  The iPhone shared a spot with Derek Jeter at 6%.  It hasn’t been a good year for the Yankees.  (31% were too flummoxed to answer.)  Johansson was the favorite of those age 18 to24 (30% ), but Berry was selected the most by every other age group.

- And while there are well-document fears about identity theft, many Americans would gladly give up their name for a cash windfall. If they were offered $100,000 by someone who wanted to adopt their name, more than one in five Americans said they would change their name to something completely different. Thirty-four percent of 18 to24 year olds were prepared to take the offer.

We'll be releasing another round of polling in the coming weeks that looks at attitudes about the Internet’s future, ts role in addressing the energy issue and impact on global economies.  You may remember that our last poll answered such burning issues as what country the next Bill Gates will come and whether the average 12-year-old is more Internet-savvy than congressman.

And, unlike most polls were you only get to see the results, we provide the exact questions asked; detailed demographic information (or cross-tabs) of who responded and other details.  Go forth and geek out with numbers.  The full press release can be found off of our homepage.

- Rob Haralson

Comments

[plex]

I find it hard to believe that %64 of all people surveyed would think it's okay for the government to block videos. I tried to look at the wording of the question in [[http://www.463.com/4_0/1024poll_crosstabs.pdf]] but that question "2l0:Statement C" is strangely missing.

Any other sources to see the actual question?

[nix]

Oh, so they have internet on computers now! ...
--homer simpson

[Sean Garrett]

Plex: Statement C read something like "would regulation of Internet video be considered unconstitutional." I'm not sure why it didn't appear in the back-up docs.

[Tom Galvin]

Plex - here is the question in its entirety. Sorry the full question was cut off (its apparently a formatting issue).

Which of the following statements most closely resembles your own opinion about government regulation of Internet video?

Statement A: Children should be protected from all types of obscene and indecent content regardless of what device it is seen on, and the Internet should be regulated as television is.

Statement B: The government should institute an online rating system for Internet video similar to one used by the movie industry.

Statement C: Any regulation or blocking of Internet video is unconstitutional.

1. Statement A 2. Statement B 3. Statement C 4. Not sure