Would you give up sex for the Internet? Report reveals surprising data
(CBS News) Would you give up sex or showers for access to Facebook? New data yields surprising results.
Part of a recent report published by The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) includes a survey of consumers in the G-20 countries, asking them what lifestyle habit they would sacrifice for one year to keep the Internet.
BCG surveyed about 1,000 people in each of several G-20 nations on what "lifestyle habit" they would give up instead of the Internet for a year, including sex, alcohol, showers and cars.
Most of the results for items like coffee, chocolate and fast food were steady with averages of 70-80 percent. The biggest discrepancies among nations were in lifestyle habits like showering, sex and driving.
A moderate 21 percent of Americans would give up sex to keep the Internet on for a year. Japan topped the list of citizens who would make the sacrifice, with 56 percent who would abstain from sex. Brazilians were the least likely to give up sex for the web access - only 12 percent surveyed would give it up.
The most hygienic nation of the bunch was France, with only 5 percent willing to give up showers for the Internet. The U.S. came in second place with 7 percent and Brazil in third with 8 percent.
American and South Africans were most attached to their vehicles - only 10 percent each were willing to give up their cars for the Internet. About 56 percent of the Chinese would rather have web access than a car.
The BCG report titled "The Internet Economy in the G-20: The $4.2 Trillion Opportunity," is an analysis of how Internet-economic growth impacts countries, cultures and companies worldwide. The survey weighing lifestyle habits versus Internet access is part of a greater snapshot of each G-20 nation.
Another interesting finding was the perceived value of the Internet versus its actual cost. For instance, Americans value the Internet at $3,000. According to BCG, it's value is actually $472 - an incredible markup in price based on perception.
According to BCG data and projections, there will be 3 billion Internet users globally by 2016. Currently, there are 1.9 billion online worldwide. And the Internet economy for the G-20 nations will grow to $4.2 trillion.
The full report can be found at the BCG Perspectives website.
