One-third of college students and young employees consider the Internet to be as important as air, water, food and shelter, according the 2011 Cisco Connected World Technology Report. Nearly half of those surveyed (49 percent of college students and 47 percent of employees) say that the Internet is almost as important as those basic human necessities.
The importance of an Internet connection is just one of many findings in Cisco’s latest annual report, derived from interviews conducted between May 13 and June 8, 2011, with 1,441 college students and 1,412 young professionals. Interviewees come from 14 different countries around the world, including the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, UK, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Russia, India, China, Japan and Australia. Cisco polled 200 respondents from each country.
Of those surveyed, 55 percent of college students, and 62 percent of employees said that the Internet is an “integral part of their lives,” which they could not live without.
More than two-thirds (64 percent) of college students said they would choose an Internet connection over a car. And 40 percent said the Internet is more important than dating, hanging out with friends or listening to music.
In addition, 27 percent of college students said keeping up to date on Facebook was also more important than a social life offline, or music. Ninety one percent of college students, and 88 percent of young professionals said they have a Facebook account. Of those, 81 percent of college students and 73 percent of employees check the social network at least once a day. One third visits the site more than five times each day.
While only 8 percent of college students, and 10 percent of employees said television ranked as an essential technology, a full 66 percent of students and 68 percent of employees said mobile devices, including smartphones, laptops, and tablets, are the “most important technology in their lives.”
These are only a select few of the findings in Cisco’s report. Watch a full overview of the report here.
[Young men at dinner table via Shutterstock]
