U.S. Adults Want Internet More than Sex

A new survey finds that most U.S. adults find Internet access more important to daily life than watching TV...or having sex.

A new survey conducted for Intel by polling firm Harris Interactive finds that most U.S. adults find Internet access more important to their daily lives than watching TV…or having sex. According to the survey results, some 65 percent of adults said they could not live without Internet access, and some 71 percent said they fee it is important or very important to have Internet-enabled devices (whether laptops, phones, or whatever) that can keep them up to date on important information.

And, 46 percent of the women surveyed—and 30 percent of the men—said they would rather go without sex for two weeks than go without the Internet for two weeks. Age played a factor too: some 39 percent of men aged 18 to 34 would rather give up sex then the Internet for two weeks; among women 28 to 34 it was 49 percent, and 52 percent for women aged 35 to 44.

The survey also found the Internet is more popular than TV: 67 percent of adults between 18 and 34 would rather give up TV than the Internet for two weeks. However, those numbers decline a bit with age: 57 percent of adults 35 to 44 would give up TV for the Internet, and just over half the adults over 44 (52 percent) would make the same decision.

The survey, blandly titled “Internet Reliance in Today’s Economy,” also focused on how respondents use the Internet to save money. Some 64 percent of respondents believe they have saved money by shopping online, 65 percent said they’ve saved money by using the Internet to look for coupons, discounts, and promotions, and 84 percent believe they’ve saved money by shopping online to compare prices and find deals.

The survey also found respondents rate Internet access as the highest-ranked “must have” discretionary service in respondents’ lives, with 65 percent of U.S. adults saying they can’t get along with out it. In comparison, 39 percent said they couldn’t get by without cable TV, 20 percent depend on dining out, 18 percent couldn’t bear to forbear clothes shopping, and 10 percent couldn’t live without their gym memberships. Some 47 percent of respondents said they can manage their personal finances better using tools like online bill paying and banking.