Split on economic impact of Internet. Predictions about the impact of the Internet on the economy in the next 20 years are split with 44 percent believing the Internet will hurt local store and the local economy while 45 percent think the Internet will create a stronger economy and save people money. Sweatshops now a major issue. Improvements noted in consumer views. This positive trend in consumer opinion has increased in all of these areas since 1982.
Perception sours on value for money.
What irks consumers the most. On a scale of one to 10, where a one means it does not bother them at all and a 10 means they are completely fed up with it, junk mail tops the list of consumer nuisances with 59 percent of the public giving it a score of 10. The interviewing took place from April 22-May 3, 1999. Figures for age, sex, race, education, and number of adults in the household were weighted where necessary to bring them in line with their actual proportions in the population. In theory, with a sample of this size, there is a 95 percent certainty that the results have a statistical precision of plus or minus 3 percentage points of what they would be if the entire adult population had been surveyed with complete accuracy.