Shows disparities in social networking site visits, shopping and banking online CHICAGO, June 2
CHICAGO, June 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Despite the much cited "digital divide,"
many multicultural consumers in the U.S. are getting much more active online
but in different ways, according to new research from global market research
firm Synovate. Though younger people across all groups are much more likely to
be online, there are major differences, including between males and females of
the same age and ethnic group.
To find out more about online behavior among multicultural consumers,
Synovate recently surveyed a total of 4,000 males and females ages 18+ across
the U.S., including approximately 1,000 general market respondents, 1,000
African-Americans and 2,000 Hispanics.
Though approximately one in four Hispanics, African-Americans and general
market consumers have visited YouTube.com in the past six months, African-
American and Hispanic males ages 18-34 were more likely to have visited
YouTube than their female counterparts. Among African-Americans, 55% of males
and 33% of females visited YouTube, while among Hispanics, 41% of males and
20% of females visited the site. This differs from the general market, for
which visiting this website was equally popular between males and females in
the same age group.
For Hispanics, this gender disparity also extends to social networking
sites such as MySpace.com and Facebook.com. Hispanic females were
significantly less likely than Hispanic males to have visited social
networking websites recently, with 18% of women and 27% of men claiming to
have visited them. This is in sharp contrast to African-American and general
market men and women, who were equally as likely to have visited MySpace or
Facebook.
The differences in online behavior are especially prevalent with online
shopping. Among general market consumers, 57% have made a recent purchase
online while only 42% of African-Americans and one quarter of Hispanics have
done the same. The gap is even larger with eBay visits. Less than three out of
ten African-Americans and Hispanics have visited eBay in the past six months
versus 41% of the general market population.
According to Denise Marks, Vice President of Diversity Research at
Synovate, "For many multicultural consumers, Internet usage is about
connecting with friends and family, and to keep up on the latest trends and
news. As more Hispanics and African-Americans spend time online, marketing
efforts should be directed towards building trust among these consumers to
help them feel comfortable about online commercial transactions."
Hispanics also lag behind other groups in adopting online banking, with
only 24% claiming to have paid monthly bills online recently compared to 38%
of general market consumers and 34% of African-Americans. While Hispanics
overall are less likely to own financial products such as bank accounts and
credit cards, their lower use of online banking may also be due to the fact
that only 59% of Hispanics have Internet access at home, work, school, or
through other means. This is substantially lower than the African-American and
general market populations, of which at least 80% have Internet access.
Marks said, "Although Internet access is steadily increasing among
Hispanics, basic necessities still come first for many in this group, the
majority of whom are immigrants. Buying a computer is not always at the top of
their shopping list, especially with the current jump in food and gas prices."
Use of instant messaging, and posting to blogs and other online forums is
similar across all groups, and again skews towards younger respondents.
Instant messaging is more popular among Hispanic males than females, at 32%
versus 24%, but there are no differences between the sexes for blogging.
With overall activity online, there are many differences among Hispanics
depending on the language spoken at home. Overall, Hispanics that speak
Spanish at home all or most of the time are much less likely to spend time
online than those who are bilingual or English-dominant. The largest divide in
online activities for the two language groups are engaging in commercial
transactions or visiting social networks such as MySpace or Facebook. Those
who speak English at least as much as Spanish are more likely to participate
or visit these websites.
For more information on Synovate's 2008 U.S. Diversity Markets Report,
with data on buying power, language use profiles, and media, product, and
service usage information for Hispanics, African-Americans and Asian-Americans,
visit www.synovate.com/knowledge/publications/#diversity2008. To learn more
about Synovate diversity research, visit
www.synovate.com/whatwedo/areas/diversity/.
About Synovate
Synovate, the market research arm of Aegis Group plc, generates consumer
insights that drive competitive marketing solutions. The network provides
clients with cohesive global support and a comprehensive suite of research
solutions. Synovate employs over 5,800 staff in 121 cities across 57 countries.
For more information on Synovate visit www.synovate.com.
Jennifer Chhatlani
+1-312-526-4359
jennifer.chhatlani@synovate.com
SOURCE Synovate
