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More Adults Than Ever Seek Health Information Online

A Harris Interactive survey finds that people are searching the Internet more frequently for health information

The number of U.S. adults who have ever searched the Internet for health information has grown from 154 million in 2009 to 175 million this year, according to a recent Harris Interactive survey. The survey also found that people are using the Internet more frequently to find health information. Thirty-two percent of respondents answered that they look for health information online “often,” as compared to 22 percent of respondents in 2009. The overwhelming majority of people who have sought health-related information on the Internet report having been successful, believing the information is at least somewhat reliable. In addition, more than half of the people who turn to the Internet for medical information are using the information they find online in discussions with their physicians. Harris conducted a telephone survey of 1,066 adults from July 13 to 18, 2010. Findings include:

  • The percentage of U.S. adults who go online was 79 percent, which has not changed significantly in recent years. However, the proportion of those who go online and search for health information reached 88 percent, the highest number ever;
  • U.S. adults search for health information an average of six times per month;
  • The number of adults who “hardly ever” search the Internet for health information fell from 21 percent in 2009 to 15 percent, and the number of people who “never” search the Internet for health information fell from 22 percent in 2009 to 11 percent;
  • Eighty-six percent of respondents reported being successful in their efforts, although the percentage of respondents who said they were “very successful” fell from 45 percent in 2009 to 41 percent; and
  • Eighty-five percent of U.S. adults characterized the health information they found to be reliable (23 percent “very reliable” and 62 percent “somewhat reliable”), which represents a decline from 87 percent in 2009.

After finding information online, 53 percent of the participants reported having discussed the information with their physicians at least once in the past year. In addition, 51 percent of respondents sought health information on the Internet based on discussions with their physicians. The authors concluded that, “These findings show that, with every passing year, more and more people are using the Internet to look for health information.”

Source: Harris Poll #95, August 4, 2010. “Cyberchondriacs” on the rise? Those who go online for healthcare information continues to increase. Published on August 4, 2010 on the Harris Interactive website.