A study including 2,570 online US adults shows how often we Google each other, and how what shows up affects everything from who we vote for, do business with and even date. The study was conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of BrandYourself.com
New York, New York — BrandYourself.com and Harris Interactive recently conducted a study to explore how people are using search engines like Google to learn more about one another.
The findings, which are based on a nationally representative online survey of 2,570 U.S. adults aged 18 and older, show that almost all online U.S. adults (86%) use search engines to look up other people, and what we find strongly influences everything from who we vote for, do business with, and even date.
Key Findings:
*Politics/Voting — Online searches of candidates influence voting decisions, especially among students and young adults. Nearly a third (31%) of online U.S. adults that have searched a person online have looked up a politician, and over half said the search influenced their voting decision. These numbers increase substantially among younger U.S. adults, especially students.
*Business – Your search results affect whether or not people do business with you. Among U.S. adults that have searched someone online, nearly half (42%) have searched someone before doing business with them, and 45% have found something that made them decide NOT to do business with the person.
*Dating/Relationships – Online searches affect your romantic life. Almost half (43%) of online U.S. adults that have searched someone online have searched a potential date, significant other, or ex boyfriend/girlfriend, making romantic searches the most common search among U.S. adults.
The full study (including raw data tables and study methodology) can be viewed here.
About BrandYourself:
BrandYourself.com is the first do-it-yourself platform that makes it easy for anyone to take control of their own Google results. It was founded in 2009 by Syracuse University classmates Pete Kistler, Patrick Ambron and Evan McGowan-Watson after Kistler couldn’t get an internship for being mistaken in Google as a drug dealer. BrandYourself has raised more than $1.2 million in Series A funding and been recognized for its innovative technology, including being honored by the White House as one of the Top 100 Startups Run by Entrepreneurs Under 30, being named one of the Top 5 Collegiate Startups by Entrepreneur Magazine, and being named the winner of the New York State Emerging Business Technology competition, a $200,000 prize, the youngest team to ever win.
