BURLINGTON, Mass., June 2 /PRNewswire/ -- To the online industry Internet, cookies are a simple piece of code that a website or web server stores on a user's machine to improve website viewing and effectively deliver and measure online marketing campaigns.
Consumers, however have a different view. To better understand the issues surrounding Internet cookies, BURST! recently surveyed over 10,000 web users 14 years and older about their knowledge and perception of Internet cookies, as well as the extent of and reasons for cookie deletion.
Nearly one-third (30.4%) of respondents say they know "Nothing/Never Heard of" Internet cookies. Only one in five respondents (21.6%) say they know "A lot" about Internet cookies; 28.1% say they know "Some information, but not a lot", and 19.9% say they know "A little".
Majority Who Understand "A Little" Acknowledge Benefits of Cookies
Respondents who knew at least "a little" about Internet cookies, were asked whether they agree or disagree with a series of statements about Internet cookies including both positive (user benefit) and negative (user detriment) statements. Among the positive statements, over half of respondents agree that Internet cookies "Keep them from having to refill personal information" when visiting a shopping or commercial website (58.2% agree). Similarly, 55.6% of respondents agree that Internet cookies "Allow [them] to enter sites they have registered with" without reentering a username/password each time they visit. Few respondents disagree with these statements; for both statements about one-third of respondents are unsure.
Only one-quarter (29.9%) of respondents agree with the statement "Internet cookies allow [them] to have a better online experience" -- one-in-five (22.8%) disagree, and 47.2% were unsure. The 14-24 year old segment is the only age group to differ significantly from the overall result -- with 35.3% agreeing with the statement "Internet cookies allow [them] to have a better online experience".
Respondents rejected the statement "Internet cookies can keep me from seeing the same online advertisement over and over again". In fact, only one out of five (23.6%) respondents agree with this statement -- and one-third (34.9%) disagree. Additionally, all age segments reject the statement that Internet cookies prevent the same advertisement from being shown to them repeatedly; including the core adult (25-54 years) segment of which only 22.7% agree and 36.0% disagree.
Negative Perceptions of Cookies - Privacy Issues
Two-thirds (66.2%) of respondents agree with the statement "Internet cookies allow someone to track my online activities".
Overall, less than one-half of respondents agree with the statements: "Internet cookies slow down my computer" (47.2%), "Internet cookies make my computer susceptible to viruses" (42.2%), "Internet cookies make my computer unsafe for personal information" (42.1%), "Internet cookies show ads on my computer screen" (39.1%), and "Internet cookies harm my computer" (26.5%).
Respondents who deleted cookies from their computer were presented with a list of potential reasons why they might delete cookies from their computer. Overall, the top reasons chosen were "I remove anything I did not request to be downloaded" (44.9%), and "I don't want my web-surfing activity monitored" (44.6%). These were followed closely by "They slow my computer down" (40.9%) -- which, for women, is the top reason for deleting Internet cookies (48.3%).
Other reasons to delete Internet cookies: "I don't feel my personal information is safe with them on my computer" (34.6%), "My spyware program suggested that I should" (31.6%), "No particular reason, don't want them" (27.3%), "I don't want anyone to know when I am on their website" (22.1%), and "They will harm my computer" (16.4%).
About Half of Respondents Say They Delete Cookies - 38.4% Monthly
Survey respondents were also asked what should be done about Internet cookies -- near equal numbers agree (26.5%) as disagree (25.8%) with the statement "Internet cookies should be eliminated"; and nearly one-half (47.7%) of respondents say they are unsure.
Slightly less than one-half (48.1%) of respondents say they have deleted Internet cookies from their computer. Additionally, men are more likely than women to say they have deleted Internet cookies, 54.5% versus 41.8%. Among age segments, one-third (37.7%) of respondents 14-24 years, 52.6% of respondents 25-54 years and 47.4% of respondents 55 years and older report deleting Internet cookies. It is important to note that within the core adult (25-54 years) segment nearly three out of five (58.4%) men report deleting Internet cookies. Also, within this important age segment, 47.4% of women say they have deleted Internet cookies.
The BURST! study found that 38.4% of respondents say they delete Internet cookies at least once a month. This number increases to 42.1% among adults 25- 54 years. Additionally, 60.6% of respondents who delete Internet cookies say they delete "all Internet cookies". Fully one-quarter (28.2%) of respondents say they keep some Internet cookies they "know they need or want", and 11.2% say they delete Internet cookies only from unfamiliar websites.
"Privacy and security issues taint online users overall perception of Internet cookies. Nevertheless, only one-out-of-four say they want Internet cookies 'eliminated'," says Chuck Moran, BURST! Media's Market Research Manager. "There is significant opportunity for the Interactive industry -- including content publishers, agencies and clients as well as third parties to build user understanding of and trust in Internet cookies."
BURST! Media ( is an Internet ad services and online ad sales rep company that delivers more than 4 billion adhttp://www.burstmedia.com)vertising impressions for over 2,000 websites every month, BURST! reaches approximately 1 in 3 people online and is among the 15 largest online media properties in terms of unique visitors and reach.* By providing thousands of web publishers with tools and expertise from ad sales to email newsletter tools and community forums for learning, BURST! helps publishers generate sustainable revenue. BURST! also markets AdDesktop, a competitively-priced, ASP ad management solution that helps web publishers securely target, serve, track and report the performance of online advertising campaigns. The company, founded in 1995, is based near Boston, and was recently named the 11th fastest growing private company in Massachusetts by the Boston Business Journal.
*(according to comScore Media Metrix)
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Source: BURST! Media
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