• by Wendy Davis , Staff Writer @wendyndavis, July 25, 2007

Almost one in five online adults, or 19%, now watch Web video on a typical day, while 57% have viewed online video at least once. That's according to new research by the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

"The growing adoption of broadband combined with a dramatic push by content providers to promote online video has helped to pave the way for mainstream audiences to embrace online video viewing," states the report, which was based on a recent telephone survey of 2,200 adults.

Online video was most popular with young users, with 31% of those between 18 and 29 saying they view clips on a typical day. For people between 30 and 49, that proportion was 18%, while just 12% of 50-64s and 10% of senior citizens watched Web video on an average day.

What are they watching? News clips topped the list, with 37% of respondents saying they had seen such content, followed by comedy at 31%. Movies and TV shows came in No. 3, at 16%.

The report also confirmed that Web video often spreads virally, with 57% of respondents saying they had shared links to clips.

How do people really feel about much-touted user-created clips? Overall, the reaction is lukewarm: Most users, 62%, said they prefer professional content, while just 19% said they like those made by consumers. But when researchers just looked at men ages 18-29, those numbers didn't hold. Less than half of the young men interviewed, 43%, said they prefer professional video online, while 34% said they prefer clips created by users, and 19% said they like both.