Internet Users Want Personalized Information New survey emphasizes importance of consumer choice and good privacy policies to online personalization Privacy & American Business, a non-partisan think tank, today released the results of a survey that indicate a majority of Internet users want information that is tailored to their needs and are willing to provide information about their preferences to receive personalized advertisements if they are given notice and choice. Dr. Alan F. Westin, Publisher of Privacy & American Business, presented the results of the survey entitled, "Personalized Marketing and Privacy on The Net: What Consumers Want," at a workshop co-sponsored by the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Commerce. Key findings of the survey include: *Of Internet users surveyed, 61% are interested in receiving banner advertisements that are tailored to their personal preferences. * Between 51 - 68% of users (representing between 47 - 63 million Americans) would agree to have information based on their offline and online transactions used to personalize banner ads to them when they are informed how their information would be used and are given the chance to "opt out" of uses they did not approve. * Most Internet users (71- 78%) who are interested in online personalization expect companies to follow privacy policies that ensure consumers notice and choice. The survey tested Internet users' opinions of six information sources used for online personalization. In each case, a majority of Internet users found it acceptable for companies to use individualized information to present banner ads to them when given notice and choice. *Sixty-eight percent (68%) of users would provide personal information. * Fifty-eight percent (58%) of respondents would agree to have their web site visits used. * Fifty-one percent of users (51%) would agree to have their online purchase information used. * Fifty-three percent of users (53%) would be willing to have their offline purchase information from catalogs and stores used. * Fifty-two percent (52%) would agree to have their off and online purchasing information combined. * Fifty-three percent (53%) of respondents say they would agree to the combination of personal information, web site visits and on/offline purchases. These findings are based on a survey of 474 Internet users drawn from a representative national sample of 1,011 respondents aged 18 and over. A sample of this size represents approximately 92 million Internet users and produces a confidence level of plus/minus four percentage points. Opinion Research Corporation conducted the telephone survey http://www.news-serve.net/ News Serve Network Web Design, Business, Internet, Web, ISP, graphics utilities, html, - (11/28/99) Back to the Topic Index