The Harris Poll^® #59, August 1, 2006

Number of "Cyberchondriacs" – Adults Who Have Ever Gone Online for Health Information– Increases to an Estimated 136 Million Nationwide

Searching the Internet for health care information has become more widespread in the past year after three years of little growth. Use of the Internet to search for health-related information by online U.S. adults has increased markedly both in terms of percentages (from 72% in 2005 to 80% now) and in numbers. This brings the number of all U.S. adults who have ever searched for health information online (Harris Interactive^® refers to them as "cyberchondriacs") to 136 million, a 16 percent increase from 117 million in 2005.

The percentage of cyberchondriacs who search online either often or sometimes appears to be rising modestly. Most adults who have ever looked for health information online claim that they have been generally successful in finding what they are looking for. In addition, many believe the information to be at least somewhat reliable though the percent who think the information is "very reliable" has declined. Somewhat fewer adults say that they are talking to their physicians about the information from the Internet.

These are some of the results of a nationwide Harris Poll of 1,020 U.S. adults surveyed by telephone by Harris Interactive between July 5 and 11, 2006.

Specifically, the survey found:

• The number of U.S. adults who have ever gone online to look for health or medical information has increased to approximately 136 million up from about 117 million last year. The main reason for this increase seems to be that the total number of Internet users has increased somewhat (from 74% of all U.S. adults in 2004 to 77% now) and the percent of those looking for medical information is increasing as well. Cyberchondriacs now represent 80 percent of all online adults, up substantially from last year’s 72 percent.
• Six in 10 (61%) online adults say that they have looked for information about health topics often (21%) or sometimes (40%), a slight increase of three percentage points from 2005 (58%).
• The percentage of online adults who say they hardly ever or never search for health information has dropped to 39 percent, down from 43 percent last year.
• Interestingly, while three-quarters (76%) of those who have ever searched the Internet for health information have done so one or more times in the last month, this is down from last year when 85 percent said that they had gone online one or more times in the past month looking for health information.
• On average, a cyberchondriac searches the Internet five times per month, a decrease from the almost seven times per month a year ago and similar to five times per month in 2004.
• Similar to 2005 a large majority of cyberchondriacs (88%) continues to indicate that they were successful in searching for health information online. Forty-two percent say that they were very successful and another 46 percent say they were somewhat successful.
• Eighty-seven percent cyberchondriacs say that the health information they found online has been reliable (25% "very reliable" and 61% "somewhat reliable"). Interestingly, this has declined from 2005 when 90 percent felt this way. Of special note, the percentage of those who indicate that online medical information is "very reliable" has declined substantially from 37 percent in 2005 to the current 25 percent.

Cyberchondriacs are not only using the Internet to better educate themselves, but many are also using it to assist in their discussion with their physicians. However, these discussions are taking place in fewer numbers. By 52 to 48 percent, a slight majority of adults who have gone online to get health information say that they have discussed this information with their doctor at least once. This is down from 2005 when a 57 to 43 percent majority indicated this.

Furthermore, fewer than half (45%) of cyberchondriacs have searched for health information based on a discussion with their doctor. This is a decrease of seven percentage points from last year’s 52 percent.

Base: All U.S. adults

*Includes those online from home, office, school, library or other location

+ Based on July 2005 U.S. Census estimate released January 2006 (223,000,000 total U.S. adults aged 18 or over).

NA = Not Asked

"How often do you look for information online about health topics – often, sometimes, hardly ever or never?"

Base: All U.S. adults who are online*

Note: Percentages may not add up exactly to 100% due to rounding

*Includes those online from home, office, school, library or other location

"About how many times have you looked for information online about health topics in the last month?"

Base: Have ever looked for health information online

Note: Percentages may not add up exactly to 100% due to rounding.

NA = Not asked in 2003

"How successful were you in your search for information online about health topics? Were you…?"

Base: Have ever looked for health information online

Note: Percentages may not add up exactly to 100% due to rounding.

"How reliable do you believe this information is concerning health topics? Is it…?"

Base: Have ever looked for health information online

Note: Percentages may not add up exactly to 100% due to rounding.

"In the past year, have you ever discussed with your doctor the information you found online?"

Base: Have ever looked for health information online

Note: Percentages may not add up exactly to 100% due to rounding

* Less than 0.5 percent.

Frequency of Searching Medical Information Online Based on Discussion with Doctor

"Have you ever searched for medical information on the Internet based on a discussion with your doctor?"

Base: Have ever looked for health information online

Note: Percentages may not add up exactly to 100% due to rounding

* Less than 0.5 percent.

This Harris Poll^® was conducted by telephone within the United States between July 5 and 11, 2006 among 1,020 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region, number of adults in the household, number of phone lines in the household were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population.

All surveys are subject to several sources of error. These include: sampling error (because only a sample of a population is interviewed); measurement error due to question wording and/or question order, deliberately or unintentionally inaccurate responses, nonresponse (including refusals), interviewer effects (when live interviewers are used) and weighting.

With one exception (sampling error) the magnitude of the errors that result cannot be estimated. There is, therefore, no way to calculate a finite "margin of error" for any survey and the use of these words should be avoided.

With pure probability samples, with 100 percent response rates, it is possible to calculate the probability that the sampling error (but not other sources of error) is not greater than some number. With a pure probability sample of 1,020 adults one could say with a 95 percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/- 3 percentage points. However that does not take other sources of error into account.

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