Many American Teens More Comfortable Sharing Info Online Than In Person

September 11, 2012

This article is included in these additional categories:

Boomers & Older | Men | Privacy & Security | Travel & Hospitality | Women | Youth & Gen X

One-third of US adults responding to an online survey conducted by Ipsos on behalf of Intel say they are more comfortable sharing information online than in person, according to a September 2012 study. Among adult respondents, men were more likely than women to report being more comfortable sharing information online than in person (36% vs. 30%), while teens were more comfortable sharing online than adults (42% vs. 33%). Separate survey results from Ipsos released in July found 20% of Americans saying they are more outgoing online than in-person.

Meanwhile, 27% of adults and 43% of teens report having a different personality online, as data from Intel’s “2012 State of Mobile Etiquette and Sharing Around The World” reveals. Adult males are far more likely to adopt an online persona than women (33% vs. 23%). And 19% of adults admit having shared false information online, with men skewing higher than women (23% vs. 15%). Survey results released in April 2012 by Badoo found similar behavior among social media users: 1 in 4 American social media users admitted exaggerating or lying about who they’ve met or what they’ve done on social media.

Photo Sharing Most Common; Contact Info Least

Asked what they share online, 59% of US adult respondents to the Intel survey reported sharing photos, with women more likely to do so than men (65% vs. 53%). Next highest by percentage was life events, shared by 41% of adults (45% of women and 36% of men). Teens skew higher than adults in most categories, including sharing photos (62%) and life events (47%).

Sharing life events on social media causes dismay for a third of respondents from around the world to an April 2012 Euro RSCG survey, who reported that social networking makes them less satisfied with their own life, and that they are envious of the lives they see others leading. And a good many regret having “overshared.” Among 18-34-year-olds, many regret having posted personal information (39%) or information about a friend or family member (35%) online. Similarly, around half worry that friends or family will share personal information online about them that they don’t want to be shared.

9 In 10 Wish Others Would Improve Their Mobile Etiquette

92% of American respondents to the Intel survey wish others practiced better etiquette with their mobile devices. The leading pet peeve is texting or typing while driving a car (77%), followed by talking loudly in public (64%); having the volume too loud in public (55%); speaking about private matters in public (54%); texting or typing in the company of others (52%); talking while driving a car (45%); and watching inappropriate content in a public place (34%).

In most categories, a higher percentage of respondents older than 55 named a pet peeve than did respondents aged 18 to 34, or 35 to 54.

Other Findings:

  • 26% of online American adults said they share information online less than once a month, equal to the percentage who share information once a day or more. Among teens, those figures are 11% and 43%, respectively.
  • The top places from where Americans share include are vacation (42%), eating a meal with others (22%), and a sporting event (21%). According to August 2012 data from Facebook, the stories that people share most on the social network are travel (42%), moving (18%) and beginning dating (10%).
  • Intel found that among American adults, other popular items being shared include reviews (38%), recommendations (37%), current events (34%), and opinions (33). Respondents are least likely to share contact information of family and coworkers (both 5%).

About The Data: Research was conducted by Ipsos on behalf of Intel in the form of an online study of a nationally representative sample of US adults ages 18 and older and US teens ages 13 to 17 in March 2012. A follow-up online study was conducted in June-August 2012 among a nationally representative sample of adults and teens ages 13 to 17 in seven additional countries: Australia, Brazil, China (adults only), France, India, Indonesia and Japan.

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