• by Masha Geller , April 3, 2003

A few months ago, standing in a supermarket check out line watching an elderly gentleman in front of me buy stamps, it finally hit me. My life is almost completely digitized. I haven't bought stamps in ages. I don't even know how much they cost these days. I haven't handwritten a letter in years. All my bills get emailed to me and I pay them online. I send online greetings and the list goes on and on. I'm still unwilling to trade my day planner in for a Palm Pilot, but that's another story. The point is, I trust the web with everything from my money to my friendships.

I'm still in the minority, but I'm not alone and the ranks of us web aficionados are growing. Consumers' trust in the safety of the Internet has increased from last year. Now, according to the Consumer Internet Barometer, more than 27% trust that their primary Internet activities are safe, up from 25% a year ago. Personal research and work-related activities lead the way. Consumers also continue to grow more comfortable conducting financial transactions online.

More consumers are also increasingly satisfied with their Internet activities - 42%, up from 41% a year ago. Although the trend in satisfaction continues to improve, not all Internet activities are benefiting equally. Personal research and work-related activities saw the greatest gains in satisfaction. Bucking the trend was personal communication, as consumers conveyed that they are less satisfied with this activity today than they were a year ago.

"Greater numbers of consumers continue to log-on to the Internet today than a year ago," says Lynn Franco, Director of The Conference Board's Consumer Research Center. "Usage trends are shifting, with more consumers going online more often. And overall levels of satisfaction and trust, while varying for some activities, are higher today than a year ago."

Overall Internet usage continues to climb. Now, 64% go online at least monthly, up from 61% a year ago. About 38% log-on daily, up from 36% a year ago. The primary reasons for using the Internet include personal communication, personal research and purchasing products. I just love being a statistic!

The CIB is based on a quarterly survey of 10,000 households and is produced jointly by NFO WorldGroup, Forrester Research and The Conference Board.