Which Types of Websites Do Most Americans Visit Frequently?

November 7, 2013

Ipsos-Most-Frequently-Visited-Website-Types-Nov2013Which types of websites are people visiting on at least a weekly basis? That was the question posed by Ipsos OTX in a recent survey that spanned 25 countries around the globe. Among American respondents, a leading 68% reported visiting a search engine site at least once a week, with social networking sites (59%) and portal sites (for checking email, such as Gmail) next (50%). Interestingly, while Americans were below the global average in each of those cases, they were far more likely than the average global respondent to indicate that they visit a shopping site (such as Amazon.com) on at least a weekly basis (46% vs. 35%).

Rounding out the top 10 most-frequently visited website types among Americans were:

  • User-generated or upload sites (such as YouTube), by 38% (vs. 44% globally);
  • Weather sites, by 38% (vs. 39% globally);
  • News and information sites (such as CNN), by 29% (vs. 42% globally);
  • Classified sites (such as Craigslist), by 27% (vs. 21% globally); and
  • Auction sites (such as eBay), by 24% (vs. 26% globally).

So to recap, Americans are 31% more likely than the average global respondent to frequently visit a shopping site, but 31% less likely to visit a news and information site. Let the stereotypes begin!

Curiously, the study did not include health information sites. According to a Pew Research Center study released late last year, 72% of American internet users looked online for health information during the previous year.

Predictably, the Ipsos survey responses varied significantly when sorting by demographic variables. Here are some of the more notable differences within the US:

  • Women are 41% more likely than men (69% vs. 49%) to say they visit a social networking site at least weekly;
  • Men are 36% more likely to frequently visit a news and information site than women (34% vs. 25%) ;
  • About 7 in 10 18-34-year-olds say they visit a social networking site at least weekly, compared to 55% of 50-64-year-olds;
  • User-generated sites are frequently visited by a much greater proportion of the youngest (51%) than oldest (29%) age groups, with the same true of TV or video sites and online music sites, among others; and
  • Shopping sites are frequently visited by a larger proportion of high-income (50%) than low-income (35%) respondents.

Meanwhile, among the more popular site types:

  • Norwegians and South Africans (each at 85%) are most likely to be visiting search engines at least weekly, with Indonesians (40%) apparently using other methods to discover content online;
  • The Turkish (82%) are most likely to be frequently visiting social networking sites, while Japanese (26%) and South Koreans (28%) are least likely to do so;
  • News and information sites prove popular in Norway (72%), Indonesia (60%) and Hungary (60%), but not so much in France (20%); and
  • A whopping 74% of Chinese respondents say they visit shopping sites at least weekly, versus just 9% in Mexico.

About the Data: The research was conducted on the “G@48” wave between August 6-20th, 2013. The monthly Global @dvisor data output is derived from a balanced online sample in 25 countries around the world via the Ipsos Online Panel system. For the results of the survey, an international sample of 18,503 adults aged 18-64 in the US and Canada, and age 16-64 in all other countries, were interviewed.

Approximately 1000+ individuals participated on a country by country basis via the Ipsos Online Panel with the exception of Argentina, Belgium, Hungary, Indonesia, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden and Turkey, where each have a sample approximately 500+. The precision of Ipsos online polls are calculated using a credibility interval. In this case, a poll of 1,000 is accurate to +/- 3.5 percentage points and one of 500 is accurate to +/- 5.0 percentage points in their respective general populations. In countries where internet penetration is approximately 60% or higher the data output is weighted to reflect the general population.

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