98% of Americans Distrust the Internet [STUDY]

We know it’s smart to check multiple sources when you read something on the Internet, but exactly how leery is the public when it comes to information on the web? A study conducted by Harris Interactive highlights just how widespread this lack of trust in information on the Internet is for most Americans.

According to the survey of 1,900 Americans, 98% distrust information found on the Internet, with 94% saying “bad things can happen as a result of acting on inaccurate information online.”
Reasons Americans distrust information on the Internet include:

• Too many ads – 59%
• Outdated information – 56%
• Information is self-promotional – 53%
• Unfamiliar forums – 45%

The 94% who worried that “bad things” could happen were mostly concerned about wasting their time (67%). Other fears included getting a computer virus (63%), losing money (51%), risk of fraud (51%) and damaging their credibility (36%).

The study was sponsored by Mancx, a company offering trusted answers for business questions. Instead of posting a question on a site like Quora or Yahoo Answers, Mancx is a business question-and-answer website that allows individuals to securely buy and sell their knowledge with others.