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7/29/2019 Pew Internet Health Online Report
1/55
JANUARY15,2013
Health Online 2013
35% of U.S. adu lts have gone online to figure out a m edical condition; of
these, half follow ed up w ith a visit to a m edical professional
SusannahFoxAssociateDirector,PewInternetProject
MaeveDugganResearchAssistant,PewInternetProject
PewResearchCentersInternet&AmericanLifeProject1615LSt.,NWSuite700Washington,D.C.20036Phone:2024194500
http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2013/Healthonline.aspx
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Summary of Findings
One in three American adults have gone online to figure out a medical
condition
ThirtyfivepercentofU.S.adultssaythatatonetimeoranothertheyhavegoneonlinespecificallytotry
tofigureoutwhatmedicalconditiontheyorsomeoneelsemighthave.
ThesefindingscomefromanationalsurveybythePewResearchCentersInternet&AmericanLife
Project.Throughoutthisreport,wecallthosewhosearchedforanswersontheinternetonline
diagnosers.
Whenaskediftheinformationfoundonlineledthemtothinktheyneededtheattentionofamedical
professional,46%ofonlinediagnoserssaythatwasthecase.Thirtyeightpercentofonlinediagnosers
sayitwassomethingtheycouldtakecareofathomeand11%sayitwasbothorinbetween.
Whenweaskedrespondentsabouttheaccuracyoftheirinitialdiagnosis,theyreported:
41%ofonlinediagnoserssayamedicalprofessionalconfirmedtheirdiagnosis.Anadditional2%
sayamedicalprofessionalpartiallyconfirmedit.
35%saytheydidnotvisitacliniciantogetaprofessionalopinion.
18%saytheyconsultedamedicalprofessionalandtheclinicianeitherdidnotagreeoroffereda
differentopinionaboutthecondition.
1%saytheirconversationwithaclinicianwasinconclusive.
Womenaremorelikelythanmentogoonlinetofigureoutapossiblediagnosis.Othergroupsthathave
ahighlikelihoodofdoingsoincludeyoungerpeople,whiteadults,thosewholiveinhouseholdsearning
$75,000ormore,andthosewithacollegedegreeoradvanceddegrees.
Itisimportanttonotewhatthesefindingsmeanandwhattheydontmean.Historically,peoplehave
alwaystriedtoanswertheirhealthquestionsathomeandmadepersonalchoicesaboutwhetherand
whentoconsultaclinician.Manyhavenowaddedtheinternettotheirpersonalhealthtoolbox,helping
themselvesandtheirlovedonesbetterunderstandwhatmightbeailingthem.Thisstudywasnot
designedtodeterminewhethertheinternethashadagoodorbadinfluenceonhealthcare.Itmeasures
thescope,butnottheoutcome,ofthisactivity.
Clinicians are a central resource for information or support during serious
health episodes and the care and conversation take place mostly offline
Totrytocaptureafocusedpictureofpeopleshealthinformationsearchandinformationassessment
strategies,weaskedrespondentstothinkaboutthelasttimetheyhadaserioushealthissueandto
whomtheyturnedforhelp,eitheronlineoroffline:
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70%ofU.S.adultsgotinformation,care,orsupportfromadoctororotherhealthcare
professional.
60%ofadultsgotinformationorsupportfromfriendsandfamily.
24%ofadultsgotinformationorsupportfromotherswhohavethesamehealthcondition.
Thevastmajorityofthiscareandconversationtookplaceoffline,butasmallgroupofpeopledidcommunicatewitheachofthesesourcesonline.And,sinceamajorityofadultsconsulttheinternet
whentheyhavehealthquestions,thesecommunicationswithclinicians,family,andfellowpatients
joinedthestreamofinformationflowingin.
Eight in 10 online health inquiries start at a search engine
Lookingmorebroadlyattheonlinelandscape,72%ofinternetuserssaytheylookedonlineforhealth
informationofonekindoranotherwithinthepastyear. Thisincludessearchesrelatedtoserious
conditions,generalinformationsearches,andsearchesforminorhealthproblems.Forbrevityssake,
wewillrefertothisgroupasonlinehealthseekers.
Whenaskedtothinkaboutthelasttimetheyhuntedforhealthormedicalinformation,77%ofonline
healthseekerssaytheybeganatasearchenginesuchasGoogle,Bing,orYahoo.Another13%saythey
beganatasitethatspecializesinhealthinformation,likeWebMD.Just2%saytheystartedtheir
researchatamoregeneralsitelikeWikipediaandanadditional1%saytheystartedatasocialnetwork
sitelikeFacebook.
Half of health information searches are on behalf of someone else
Whenaskedtothinkaboutthelasttimetheywentonlineforhealthormedicalinformation,39%ofonlinehealthseekerssaytheylookedforinformationrelatedtotheirownsituation.Another39%say
theylookedforinformationrelatedtosomeoneelseshealthormedicalsituation.Anadditional15%of
theseinternetuserssaytheywerelookingbothontheirownandsomeoneelsesbehalf.
One in four people seeking health information online have hit a pay wall
Twentysixpercentofinternetuserswholookonlineforhealthinformationsaytheyhavebeenaskedto
payforaccesstosomethingtheywantedtoseeonline. Ofthosewhohavebeenaskedtopay,just2%
saytheydidso.Fully83%ofthosewhohitapaywallsaytheytriedtofindthesameinformation
somewhereelse.Thirteenpercentofthosewhohitapaywallsaytheyjustgaveup.
The social life of health information is a low-key but steady presence in
American life
Inpastsurveys,thePewInternetProjecthasnotdefinedatimeperiodforhealthactivitiesonline.This
time,thephraseinthepast12monthswasaddedtohelpfocusrespondentsonrecentepisodes.We
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findonceagainthatthereisasociallifeofhealthinformation,aswellaspeertopeersupport,as
peopleexchangestoriesabouttheirownhealthissuestohelpeachotherunderstandwhatmightlie
ahead:
26%saytheyreadorwatchedsomeoneelsesexperienceabouthealthormedicalissuesinthe
last12
months.
16%ofinternetuserssaytheywentonlineinthelastyeartofindotherswhomightsharethesamehealthconcerns.
Healthrelatedreviewsandrankingscontinuetobeusedbyonlyamodestgroupofconsumers.About
oneinfiveinternetusershaveconsultedonlinereviewsofparticulardrugsormedicaltreatments,
doctorsorotherproviders,andhospitalsormedicalfacilities.Andjust34%ofinternetusershave
postedonlinereviewsofhealthcareservicesorproviders.
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About this study
Theresultsreportedherecomefromanationwidesurveyof3,014adultslivingintheUnitedStates.
Telephoneinterviewswereconductedbylandline(1,808)andcellphone(1,206,including624withouta
landlinephone).ThesurveywasconductedbyPrincetonSurveyResearchAssociatesInternational.
InterviewsweredoneinEnglishandSpanishbyPrincetonDataSourcefromAugust7toSeptember6,
2012.Statisticalresultsareweightedtocorrectknowndemographicdiscrepancies.Themarginof
samplingerrorforthecompletesetofweighteddatais2.4percentagepoints.
ThePewInternet&AmericanLifeProjectisaninitiativeofthePewResearchCenter,anonprofitfacttankthatprovidesinformationontheissues,attitudesandtrendsshapingAmericaandtheworld.The
Projectisnonpartisanandtakesnopositiononpolicyissues.SupportfortheProjectisprovidedbythe
PewCharitableTrusts.
SupportforthisstudywasprovidedbytheCaliforniaHealthCareFoundation,anindependent
philanthropycommittedtoimprovingthewayhealthcareisdeliveredandfinancedinCalifornia.
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Part One: Information triage
For one-third of U.S. adults, the internet is a diagnostic tool
AsofSeptember2012,81%ofU.S.adultsusetheinternetand,ofthose,72%saytheyhavelookedonlineforhealthinformationinthepastyear.
Sinceonlinepersonaldiagnosisisascenariothathasintriguedobserversforyearsandcausedsome
anxietyaboutpeoplesabilitytonavigatetheonlineinformationlandscapethePewResearchCenters
Internet&AmericanLifeProjectexploreditinsomedepthinitsmostrecenthealthsurvey.Ofthose
whohavelookedonlineforhealthinformation,59%saytheyhaveevergoneonlinespecificallytotryto
figureoutwhatmedicalconditiontheyorsomeoneelsemighthave.Thattranslatesto35%ofU.S.
adults.
Womenaremorelikelythanmentogoonlinetofigureoutapossiblediagnosis.Othergroupsthathave
ahighlikelihoodofdoingsoincludeyoungerpeople,whiteadults,thoseinthehighestincomebracket,
andthosewithmoreeducation(seethetablebelowfordetails).
Thefollowinganalysisisbasedonquestionsaskedonlyofthat35%ofthepopulationwhoanswered
thattheyhavegoneonlinetofigureoutwhattheyorsomeoneelsemighthave.Wewillrefertothemas
onlinediagnosers.
First,onlinediagnoserswereaskediftheinformationtheyfoundonlineledthemtothinkthatthiswasa
conditionthatneededtheattentionofadoctororothermedicalprofessional,orthatitwasperhaps
somethingtheycouldtakecareofathome:
46%ofonlinediagnoserssaythattheconditionneededtheattentionofadoctor;
38%sayitcouldbetakencareofathome;and
11%saiditwaseitherbothorinbetween.
Fiftythreepercentofonlinediagnoserssaytheytalkedwithamedicalprofessionalaboutwhatthey
foundonline,46%didnot(seetablebelowfordetails).
Separately,weaskedifamedicalprofessionalconfirmedwhattheythoughttheconditionwasand
foundthat:
41%ofonlinediagnoserssayyes,amedicalprofessionalconfirmedtheirsuspicions.An
additional2%sayamedicalprofessionalpartiallyconfirmedthem.
35%saytheydidnotvisitacliniciantogetaprofessionalopinion.
18%sayamedicalprofessionaleitherdidnotagreeorofferedadifferentopinionaboutthe
condition.
1%saytheirconversationwithaclinicianwasinconclusivetheprofessionalwasunableto
diagnosewhattheyhad.
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Online diagnosis and professional follow-up%ofadultswholookedonlinetodiagnoseaconditionandthe%ofthoseonlinediagnoserswho
followedupwithamedicalprofessionalaboutwhattheyfound
Lookedonlinetodiagnose
acondition(Nforalladults=3,014)
Followedup
with
medical
professionalafteronline
diagnosis(Nforonlinediagnosers=1,003)
All 35% 53%
Men 30 50
Women 40* 55
Age
1829 47** 47
3049 43** 55
5064 29* 58
65+ 13 47
Race/ethnicity
White,NonHispanic 37** 52
Black,NonHispanic 30 59
Hispanic 25 58
Annualhouseholdincome
Lessthan$30,000/yr 25 44
$30,000
$49,999
37*
60*
$50,000$74,999 44* 62*
$75,000+ 51** 53
Educationlevel
Lessthanhighschooldiploma 9
Highschoolgrad 26* 51
SomeCollege 41** 55
College+ 49*** 51
Source:PewInternetHealthSurvey,August7September6,2012.N=3,014adultsages18+.InterviewswereconductedinEnglishandSpanishandonlandlineandcellphones. Marginoferroris+/ 2.4percentagepointsforalladultsand+/ 3.6percentagepointsforonlinediagnosers.
*Statisticallysignificantdifferencecomparedwithothersinthesamegrouping.Additionalasterisksindicateamoresignificantdifference.
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Thereisnostatisticallysignificantdifferencebetweenthosewhohavehealthinsuranceandthosewho
donotwhenitcomestousingtheinternettofigureoutanillness.
Itisimportanttonotewhatthesefindingsmeanandwhattheydontmean.Historically,peoplehave
alwaystriedtoanswertheirhealthquestionsathomeandmadepersonalchoicesaboutwhetherand
whentoconsultaclinician.Manyhavenowaddedtheinternettotheirpersonalhealthtoolbox,helpingthemselvesandtheirlovedonesbetterunderstandwhatmightbeailingthem.Thisstudywasnot
designedtodeterminewhethertheinternethashadagoodorbadinfluenceonhealthcare.Itmeasures
thescope,butnottheoutcome,ofthisactivity.
Eight in ten online health inquiries start at a search engine
Again,72%ofinternetuserssaytheylookedonlineforhealthinformationwithinthepastyear.For
brevityssake,wewillrefertothisgroupasonlinehealthseekers.
Whenaskedtothinkaboutthelasttimetheydidso,77%ofonlinehealthseekerssaytheybeganata
searchenginesuchasGoogle,Bing,orYahoo.Another13%saytheybeganatasitethatspecializesin
healthinformation,likeWebMD.Just2%saytheystartedtheirresearchatamoregeneralsitelike
Wikipediaandanadditional1%saytheystartedatasocialnetworksitelikeFacebook.
Usingasearchengineissomewhatassociatedwithbeingyounger.Forexample,82%ofonlinehealth
seekersage1829yearsoldsaytheyusedGoogle,Bing,Yahoo,oranothersearchengine,compared
with73%ofthoseages50andolder.
Overall,thispatternmatcheswhatwefoundinourveryfirsthealthsurvey,conductedin2000,when
justhalfofU.S.adultshadinternetaccess.Then,asnow,eightintenonlinehealthseekersstartedata
generalsearchenginewhenlookingonlineforhealthormedicalinformation.
Clinicians are a central resource for information or support during serious
health episodes and the care and conversation take place mostly offline
Totrytocaptureanaccuratepictureofpeopleshealthinformationseekingstrategies,weasked
respondentstothinkaboutthelasttimetheyhadaserioushealthissueandtowhomtheyturnedfor
help:
70%ofU.S.adultsgotinformation,care,orsupportfromadoctororotherhealthcare
professional.
60%ofadultsgotinformationorsupportfromfriendsandfamily.
24%ofadultsgotinformationorsupportfromotherswhohavethesamehealthcondition.
Thevastmajorityofthiscareandconversationtookplaceoffline(seetablebelow).
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Thelasttimeyouhadahealthissue,did
yougetinformation,care,orsupport
from
Totalyes
Yes,online
Yes,offline
Yes,both
Notasource
Adoctororotherhealthcareprofessional
70% 1% 61% 8% 28%
Friendsandfamily 60 1 39 20 39
Otherswhohavethesamehealthcondition
24 2 15 7 73
Source:PewResearchCentersInternet&AmericanLifeProject,August7September6,2012Survey.N=3,014adults.Marginoferrorforinternetusers(N=2,392)is+/ 2.6percentagepoints.
Certaingroupsaresignificantlymorelikelytoreportcallinguponaclinicianforhealthadvice:women,
adultsages50andolder,nonHispanicwhites,andadultswithatleastsomecollegeeducation.Fully
threequartersofpeoplewhohavehealthinsuranceconsultedadoctororotherhealthcare
professional,comparedwithhalf(49%)oftheuninsured.
Womenaremoreinclinedthanmentoseekinformation,care,orsupportfromfriendsandfamily: 68%
vs. 53%.NonHispanicwhites,adultswithhealthinsurance,andthosewithsomecollegeeducationare
alsomorelikelythanothergroupstoturntofriendsandfamily.Almosttwothirds(63%)ofthosewith
insuranceapproachedfriendsandfamily,whilehalf(48%)oftheuninsureddidso.
Differencesamongdemographicgroupsarelessapparentwhenlookingatpeerhealthsupport,buttwo
groupsstandout:womenandpeoplewithhealthinsurance.Twentyeightpercentofwomenhave
soughtadvicefromotherswhohavethesamehealthcondition,comparedwith21%ofmen.Onequarter(26%)oftheinsuredsoughtoutotherswiththesamehealthcondition,comparedto19%of
thosewithoutinsurance.
Thesefindingsreflectdifferenceswefirstobservedin2010,withlittlechangeoverthepasttwoyears.
Half of online health inquiries are on behalf of someone else
Whenaskedtothinkaboutthelasttimetheywentonlineforhealthormedicalinformation,39%of
internetuserswhohavedonethistypeofresearchsaytheylookedforinformationrelatedtotheirown
situation.Another39%saytheylookedforinformationrelatedtosomeoneelseshealthormedical
situation.And15%oftheseinternetuserssaytheywerelookingbothontheirownandsomeoneelsesbehalf.
Onlinehealthseekersage65andolderaremorelikelythanthoseinthemiddleagegroupstosaytheir
lastsearchwasontheirownbehalf:48%,comparedwith39%of5064yearolds,forexample.Parents
aremorelikelythannonparentstolookonbehalfofsomeoneelse:44%,comparedwith36%.
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Thistrendhasnotchangedsignificantlysincewefirstbegantrackingitin2000:morethanhalfofhealth
searchesareconductedonbehalfofsomeonenottouchingthekeyboard.
Specific diseases and treatments continue to dominate peoples online
queries
Inpastsurveys,thePewInternetProjecthasnotdefinedatimeperiodforhealthsearchesonline.This
time,thephraseinthepast12monthswasaddedtohelpfocusrespondentsonrecentsearches.
Asonewouldexpect,thepercentagesdippedforeachofthetopicsweincludeinthelist.Forexample,
55%ofinternetuserssaytheylookedonlineforinformationaboutaspecificdiseaseormedicalproblem
inthepastyear,comparedwith66%ofinternetuserswho,in2010,saidtheyhadeverdonesucha
search.
The%ofadultinternetuserswhohavelookedonlineinthelast12
monthsfor
information
about
55% Specificdiseaseormedicalproblem
43 Certainmedicaltreatmentorprocedure
27 Howtoloseweightorhowtocontrolyourweight
25 Healthinsurance,includingprivateinsurance,MedicareorMedicaid
19 Foodsafetyorrecalls
16 Drugsafetyorrecalls
16 Adrugyousawadvertised
15 Medicaltestresults
14 Caringforanagingrelativeorfriend12 Pregnancyandchildbirth
11 Howtoreduceyourhealthcarecosts
20 Anyotherhealthissue
72 atleastoneoftheabovetopics
Source:PewResearchCentersInternet&AmericanLifeProject,August7September6,2012Survey.N=3,014adults. Marginoferrorforinternetusers(N=2,392)is+/ 2.6percentagepoints.
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Womenaremorelikelythanmentoseekhealthinformationonline,asareinternetuserswithhigher
levelsofeducation:
Sex Educationlevel
HealthtopicAll
internetusers
Men WomenSomehigh
school
Highschool
grad
Somecollege
Collegegrad
N=2,392 N=1,084 N=1,308 N=107 N=574 N=656 N=1,046
Specificdiseaseormedicalproblem
55% 48% 62%* 34% 43% 58%** 67%***
Certainmedicaltreatmentorprocedure
43 37 49* 22 36* 45** 52***
Howtoloseweightorhowtocontrolyourweight
27 19 34* 23 20 29* 32*
Healthinsurance,includingprivateinsurance,MedicareorMedicaid
25 25 25 17 17 26* 32**
Foodsafetyorrecalls 19 19 19 16 16 19 23*
Drugsafetyorrecalls 16 14 18* 10 13 17 20**
Adrugyousawadvertised 16 15 16 9 13 18* 17*
Medicaltestresults 15 13 16 3 8 15** 23***
Caringforanagingrelativeorfriend
14 15 13 8 12 15 16**
Pregnancyandchildbirth 12 11 13 17 9 14* 12
Howtoreduceyourhealthcarecosts
11 11 11 11 8 11 13*
Anyotherhealthissue 20 16 25* 12 15 22** 25**
Atleastoneoftheabovetopics
72 65 79* 57 63 74** 81***
Source:PewResearchCentersInternet&AmericanLifeProject,August7September6,2012Survey.N=3,014adultsandthemarginoferroris+/ 2.6percentagepointsforinternetusers.Marginsoferrorforsubpopulationsarehigher.
*Statisticallysignificantdifferencecomparedwithothersinthesamegroup.Additionalasterisksindicateamoresignificantdifference.
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Thereareonlyfoursignificantdifferencesamongwhite,AfricanAmerican,andLatinointernetusers
whenitcomestohealthtopics:specificdiseases,weightcontrol,adrugseeninadvertising,and
pregnancy.Differencesamongagegroupsareamuchmoremixedbagoftopics.
Race/ethnicity
Age
HealthtopicAll
internetusers
White Black Latino 1829 3049 5064 65+
N=2,392 N=1,531 N=348 N=314 N=454 N=759 N=668 N=463
Specificdiseaseormedicalproblem
55% 58%** 47% 48% 53%* 59%* 59%* 43%
Certainmedicaltreatmentorprocedure
43 45 42 39 39 48** 44* 36
Howtoloseweightor
howtocontrolyourweight
27 23 34* 35* 32** 32** 21* 11
Healthinsurance,includingprivateinsurance,MedicareorMedicaid
25 24 23 26 26 28* 23 19
Foodsafetyorrecalls 19 18 18 20 18 24*** 17 12
Drugsafetyorrecalls 16 16 20 16 14* 20* 17* 8
Adrugyousawadvertised
16 15 22* 15 16 15 18* 11
Medicaltestresults 15 16 12 15 13 15 19** 10
Caringforanagingrelativeorfriend
14 14 15 15 13 16* 15* 8
Pregnancyandchildbirth 12 10 11 17* 25*** 13** 2
Howtoreduceyourhealthcarecosts
11 10 13 12 10* 13* 11* 5
Anyotherhealthissue 20 21 16 17 17 24** 22* 14
Atleastoneoftheabovetopics
72 73 69 66 76* 75* 71* 58
Source:PewResearchCentersInternet&AmericanLifeProject,August7September6,2012Survey.N=3,014adultsandthemarginoferroris+/ 2.6percentagepointsforinternetusers.Marginsoferrorforsubpopulationsarehigher.
*Statisticallysignificantdifferencecomparedwithothersinthesamegroup.Additionalasterisksindicateamoresignificantdifference.
Internetuserswithhealthinsurancearesignificantlymorelikelythanthosewithouthealthinsuranceto
researchcertaintopics,suchasaspecificdiseaseortreatment.Othertopics,suchasfoodanddrug
safety,aremoderatelymorepopularamonginternetuserswithhealthinsurance,comparedwiththose
whodonotreporthavinginsurancecoverage.
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Seeking health information online%ofinsuredvs.uninsuredinternetuserswhohavelookedforinformationonlineabout
Insured
(n=2,066)
Uninsured
(n=326)
Specificdiseaseormedicalproblem 60%* 35%
Certainmedicaltreatmentorprocedure 48* 24Howtoloseorcontrolweight 27 24
Healthinsurance 25 25
Foodsafetyorrecalls 20* 15
Drugsafetyorrecalls 17* 12
Medicaltestresults 17* 6
Advertiseddrug 16 12
Caringforanaginglovedone 15 11
Pregnancyandchildbirth 11 15
Reducepersonalhealthcarecosts 11 11
Otherhealthissue 22* 13
Anyof
the
above
75*
59
Source:PewResearchCentersInternet&AmericanLifeProject,August7September6,2012Survey.N=3,014adults. Marginoferrorforinternetusers(N=2,392)is+/ 2.6percentagepoints.
*Statisticallysignificantdifferencecomparedwithothersinthesamegroup.
Internet access drives information access
SinceoneinfiveU.S.adultsdonotgoonline,thepercentageofonlinehealthinformationseekersis
lowerwhencalculatedasapercentageofthetotalpopulation:59%ofalladultsintheU.S.saythey
lookedonlineforhealthinformationwithinthepastyear.
Therearetwoforcesatplay:accesstotheinternetandinterestinhealthinformation.Forexample,
womenandmenareequallylikelytohaveaccesstotheinternet,butwomenaremorelikelythanmen
toreportgatheringhealthinformationonline,whichexplainsthegendergapinthechartbelow.Forthe
othergroups,theiroveralllowerrateofinternetadoptioncombinedwithlowerlevelsofhealth
informationseekingonlinedrivestheirnumbersdownsignificantlywhencomparedwithotheradults.
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Looking online for health information:
demographics
%of
adults
whogoonline
%ofinternetusers
wholookonlineforhealthinformation
%ofalladults
who
look
online
forhealthinformation
Total 81% 72% 59%
Gender
Male 81 65 53
Female 81 79* 64*
Race
White 83** 73 60**
AfricanAmerican
74 69 51
Latino 73 66 48
Age
1829 95*** 76* 72**
3049 89** 75* 67**
5064 77* 71* 54*
65+ 52 58 30
Education
Somehighschool
47 57 27
Highschool 72* 63 45*
Somecollege 90** 74** 67**
Collegegraduate
96*** 81*** 78***
Householdincome
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Younger adults and minorities lead the way with mobile health information
search
Some85%ofU.S.adultsownacellphoneand,ofthose,31%saytheyhaveusedtheirphonetolookfor
healthormedicalinformationonline.Somegroupsaremorelikelythanotherstolookforhealth
informationontheirphones:Latinos,AfricanAmericans,thosebetweentheagesof18and49,and
thosewhohaveattendedatleastsomecollegeeducation.
Mobile health information: demographics%ofcellphoneownerswithineachgroupwhousetheirphonestolook
forhealthormedicalinformationonline
Allcellphoneowners(n=2,581) 31%
Men(n=1,163) 29
Women(n=1,418) 33
Age
1829(n=451) 42**
3049(n=770) 39**
5064(n=710) 19*
65+(n=599) 9
Race/ethnicity
White,NonHispanic(n=1,586) 27
Black,NonHispanic(n=434) 35*
Hispanic(n=351) 38*
Annualhouseholdincome
Lessthan$30,000/yr(n=690) 28
$30,000$49,999(n=456) 30
$50,000$74,999(n=345) 37*
$75,000+(n=646) 37*
Educationlevel
Nohighschooldiploma(n=187) 17
Highschoolgrad(n=681) 26*
SomeCollege(n=679) 33**
College+(n=1020) 38**
Source:PewInternet/CHCFHealthSurvey,August7September6,2012.N=3,014adultsages18+.InterviewswereconductedinEnglishandSpanish,onlandlineandcellphones.Marginoferroris+/ 2.6percentagepointsforresultsbasedoncellphoneowners.
*Statisticallysignificantdifferencecomparedwithothersinthesamegrouping.Additionalasterisksindicateamoresignificantdifference.
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Half of smartphone owners have used their phone to look up health
information
HalfofcellphoneownersintheU.S.(53%)saythattheyownasmartphone.Thistranslatesto45%ofall
Americanadults.Youngerpeoplearemorelikelythanolderadultstoownasmartphone,asarepeople
withhigherincomeandeducationlevels.
Who Owns Smartphones%ofU.S.adultswithineachgroupwhohaveasmartphone
Alladults(n=3,014) 45%
Men(n=1,337) 46
Women(n=1,677) 45
Age
1829(n=478) 66***
3049(n=833) 59**
5064(n=814) 34*
65+(n=830) 11
Race/ethnicity
White,NonHispanic(n=1,864) 42
Black,NonHispanic(n=497) 47
Hispanic(n=427) 49*
Annualhouseholdincome
Lessthan$30,000/yr(n=876) 35
$30,000$49,999(n=523) 42*
$50,000$74,999(n=371) 56**
$75,000+(n=680) 68***
Educationlevel
Nohighschooldiploma(n=269) 21
Highschoolgrad(n=830) 36*
SomeCollege(n=778) 50**
College+(n=1,115) 61***
Geographiclocation
Urban(n=1,095) 48*
Suburban(n=1,406) 49*
Rural(n=396) 29
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Source:PewInternet/CHCFHealthSurvey,August7September6,2012.N=3,014adultsages18+.InterviewswereconductedinEnglishandSpanish,onlandlineandcellphones. Marginoferroris+/ 2.4percentagepointsforresultsbasedonalladults.
*Statisticallysignificantdifferencecomparedwithothersinthesamegrouping.Additionalasterisksindicateamoresignificantdifference.
Fiftytwopercentofsmartphoneownershavelookeduphealthinformationontheirphone,compared
withjust6%ofothercellphoneowners.
Apersonslikelihoodtousehisorhercellphonetolookforhealthinformationisamplifiedbyeachof
thecharacteristicsidentifiedinthetablesabove:relativeyouthfulness,havingahigherlevelof
education,livinginahigherincomehousehold,beingLatino,beingAfricanAmericanandowninga
smartphone.Eachoftheseobservationsholdstrueunderstatisticalanalysisisolatingeachfactor.In
otherwords,itisnotjustthatsmartphoneownersarelikelytobeyoungerthanotherAmericanadults
andbothgroupsarelikelytousetheirphonestolookuphealthinformation.Eachcharacteristichasan
independenteffectonmobilehealthinformationconsumption.
One in four people seeking health information online have hit a pay wall
Twentysixpercentofinternetuserswholookonlineforhealthinformationsaytheyhavebeenaskedto
payforaccesstosomethingtheywantedtoseeonline.Seventythreepercentsaytheyhavenotfaced
thischoicewhileseekinghealthormedicalinformationonline.
Ofthosewhohavebeenaskedtopay,just2%saytheydidso.Fully83%ofthosewhohitapaywallsay
theytriedtofindthesameinformationsomewhereelse.Thirteenpercentofthosewhohitapaywall
saytheyjustgaveup.
Men,women,peopleofallagesandeducationlevelswereequallylikelytoreporthittingapaywall
whenlookingforhealthinformation.Respondentslivinginlowerincomehouseholdsweresignificantly
morelikelythantheirwealthiercounterpartstosaytheygaveupatthatpoint.Wealthierrespondents
werethelikeliestgrouptosaytheytriedtofindthesameinformationelsewhere.Noincomegroupwas
morelikelytosaytheypaidthefee.
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Part Two: Peer-to-peer Healthcare
Some seek counsel from fellow patients and caregivers
Wehavebeeninterestedinthesocialaspectofonlinehealthresourcessincetheverybeginningofourproject.In2000,weaskedpeopleiftheyhademailedadoctorandiftheyparticipatedinanonline
supportgroupforpeoplewhosharedthesamehealthissues.Associaltoolsproliferated,weadapted
oursurveyquestionstofitthecurrentreality.
Now,insteadofnamingcertainwebsitesorservices,wedescribeanactivityandtrackpeoplesuseof
theseresourcesovertime.Forexample,inthecurrentsurvey,wedidnotaskspecificallyabout
Facebook,insteadfocusingonmoregeneralsocialinteractionwhichmaytakeplaceonavarietyofsites.
Wetrustthatpeopleknowwhatwemeanwhenweaskiftheyhave,forexample,postedahealth
relatedquestiononlineandwedonotparticularlyneedtoknowhoworwheretheypostedit.
ThesociallifeofhealthinformationisasteadypresenceinAmericanlife.Aswenotedabove,onein
fouradults(24%)saysthattheyturnedtootherswhohavethesamehealthconditionduringtheirlast
boutwithillness,essentiallythesamefindingasinour2010survey.Oneinfourinternetusers(26%)
havereadorwatchedsomeoneelsesexperienceabouthealthormedicalissuesinthelast12months.
And16%ofinternetusershavegoneonlinetofindotherswhomightsharethesamehealthconcernsin
thelastyear.Weexploredthisphenomenoningreaterdepthinthe2011report,Peertopeer
Healthcare.1
Elevenpercentofinternetuserssaytheyhavesigneduptoreceiveemailupdatesoralertsabouthealth
ormedicalissuesinthepastyear.Twelvepercentofinternetusershavedownloadedformsonlineor
appliedforhealthinsuranceonlineinthepastyear,includingprivateinsurance,Medicare,orMedicaid.
Someofthemoststrikingdifferenceswerebetweenthosewhohavehealthinsuranceandthosewhodo
not(seetablebelow).
1http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/P2PHealthcare.aspx
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Online health activities, by insurance status%ofinsuredvs.uninsuredinternetuserswhohavegoneonlineinthepastyearto.
Insured
(n=2,601)
Uninsured
(n=413)Read/watchsomeoneelseshealthormedicalexperienceonline 22%* 17%
Findotherswhomighthavesimilarhealthconcerns 13 11
Downloadformsonlineorappliedforhealthinsuranceonline 10* 6
Receiveanyemailupdatesoralertsabouthealthormedicalissues 9* 6
Anyoftheabove 33* 26
Source:PewResearchCentersInternet&AmericanLifeProject,August7September6,2012Survey.N=3,014adultsandthemarginoferroris+/ 2.6percentagepointsforinternetusers.
*Statisticallysignificantdifferencebetweengroups.
Eightpercentofinternetuserssaytheyhave,inthepast12months,postedahealthrelatedquestion
onlineorsharedtheirownpersonalhealthexperienceonlineinanyway. Ofthose:
40%saytheypostedcommentsorstoriesaboutpersonalhealthexperiences
19%saytheypostedspecifichealthquestions
38%saytheypostedboth
Inaddition,78%ofthosewhopostedacomment,story,orquestionabouttheirhealthsaythattheydid
sotoreachageneralaudienceoffriendsorotherinternetusers.Elevenpercentsaytheyposted
somewherespecificallytogetfeedbackfromahealthprofessional.Fourpercentrepliedthatthey
postedforbothageneralandaprofessionalaudienceand5%saidneitherofthosechoicesfit.
Health care reviews have not caught on among general consumers
ThePewInternetProjecthastrackedtheuseofonlineconsumerreviewssince2000andithasalways
rankedamongthemostpopularactivitiesinthecommercialrealm:8in10internetuserssaytheyhave
researchedaproductorserviceonline.Bycontrast,onlyaboutoneinfiveinternetusershaveconsulted
onlinereviewsandrankingsofhealthcareserviceprovidersandtreatments.
Whenitcomestowritingreviewsofgeneralinterestitems,37%ofinternetuserssaytheyhaverateda
product,service,orpersononlineand32%havepostedacommentorreviewonlineaboutproducttheyboughtorservicetheyreceived.Peoplearemuchlesslikelytopostareviewofatreatment,hospital,or
clinicianbetween34%ofinternetusershavedoneso.
Theresultsforhealthrelatedreviewsarecomparabletothosewerecordedin2010. Consultingonline
reviewsofparticulardrugsormedicaltreatments,however,tookanoticeabledipinthelasttwoyears.
Some18%ofinternetusersdosotoday,comparedto24%in2010.
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Reviews and rankings online, 2010-2012%ofinternetuserswhoconsultedorpostedonlinereviewsorrankingsforthefollowinghealthrelatedsubjects
2010(n=2,065)
2012(n=2,392)
Consulted
online
reviews
of
particular
drugs
or
medical
treatments
24%*
18%
Consultedonlinerankingorreviewsofdoctorsorotherproviders 16 17
Consultedonlinerankingsorreviewsofhospitalsormedicalfacilities 15 14
Postedareviewonlineofadoctor 4 4
Postedareviewonlineofahospital 3 3
Postedyourexperienceswithaparticulardrugormedicaltreatmentonline 4 3
Source:PewResearchCentersInternet&AmericanLifeProject.Marginsoferrorare+/ 2.6percentagepointsforinternetusers.
*Statisticallysignificantdifferencebetweenyears.
Internetusersbetweentheagesof3064yearsoldarethemostlikelygrouptosaytheyhaveconsultedonlinereviewsandrankingsofhealthtreatmentsandservices. Suburbaninternetusersaremorelikely
thanruralinternetuserstoconsultonlinehealthcarereviews.
Consulting reviews and rankings online, by age%ofinternetuserswithineachagegroupwhoconsultedonlinereviewsorrankingsforthe
followinghealthrelatedsubjects
Source:PewResearchCentersInternet&AmericanLifeProject,August7September6,2012Survey.N=3,014adultsandthemarginoferroris+/ 2.6percentagepointsforinternetusers.
17
1413
19
21
16
21
17
14
1110
8
0
5
10
15
20
25
drugsormedical
treatments
doctorsorother
healthcareproviders
hospitalsorother
medicalfacilities
1829
3049
5064
65+
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Consulting reviews and rankings online, by urbanity%ofinternetuserswithineachgroupwhoconsultedonlinereviewsorrankingsforthe
followinghealthrelatedsubjects
Source:PewResearchCentersInternet&AmericanLifeProject,August7September6,2012Survey.N=3,014adultsandthemarginoferroris+/ 2.6percentagepointsforinternetusers.
Internetuserswithhigherlevelsofeducationweremorelikelytoconsultonlinereviewsandrankings
thantheirlesseducatedcounterparts.Thosewithanannualhouseholdincomebelow$30,000wereless
likelythanallotherincomebracketstoconsultorposthealthrelatedreviewsandrankingsonline.
1817
14
20 20
15
13
1110
0
5
10
15
20
25
drugsormedical
treatments
doctorsorother
healthcareproviders
hospitalsorother
medicalfacilities
Urban
Suburban
Rural
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Consulting reviews and rankings online, by education%ofinternetuserswithineachgroupwhoconsultedonlinereviewsorrankingsforthefollowing
healthrelatedsubjects
Source:PewResearchCentersInternet&AmericanLifeProject,August7September6,2012Survey.N=3,014adultsandthemarginoferroris+/ 2.6percentagepointsforinternetusers.
6
3
5
11
9 9
19
16
14
24
27
20
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
drugsormedical
treatments
doctorsorother
healthcareproviders
hospitalsorother
medicalfacilities
Nodiploma
Highschoolgrad
somecollege
collegegrad
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Consulting reviews and rankings online, by annual household income%ofinternetuserswithineachgroupwhoconsultedonlinereviewsorrankingsforthefollowinghealth
relatedsubjects
Source:PewResearchCentersInternet&AmericanLifeProject,August7September6,2012Survey.
N=3,014adultsandthemarginoferroris+/ 2.6percentagepointsforinternetusers.
Postingonlinehealthreviewsandrankingsiscomparativelyinfrequent. Just7%ofinternetusershave
everpostedreviewsorrankingsonanyofthethethreehealthtopicswesurveyed:drugsandmedical
treatments,doctors,andhospitals. Thistranslatesinto6%ofAmericanadults.
13
10
8
20
1415
2021
18
22
25
18
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
drugsormedical
treatments
doctorsorother
healthcareproviders
hospitalsorother
medicalfacilities
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Consulting vs. posting online health reviews and rankings%ofinternetuserswhoconsultedvs.postedonlinereviewsorrankingsforthefollowinghealth
relatedsubjects
Source:PewResearchCentersInternet&AmericanLifeProject,August7September6,2012Survey.N=3,014adultsandthemarginoferroris+/ 2.6percentagepointsforinternetusers.
Unlikeconsultingonlinehealthrankingsandreviews,therearenocleardemographictrendswhenit
comestoposting. (SeeAppendixfordetails.)
1817
14
34
3
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
drugsormedical
treatments
doctors hospitals
Consultedonline
reviews/rankings
Postedonline
reviews/rankings
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Appendix
Additionaldetailsaboutwhohassearchedforspecifichealthtopics.
%ofalladultswhohaveeverlookedonlineforinformationaboutvarioushealthtopics,byage
AllAdultsN=3,014
Age
1829N=478
3049N=833
5064N=814
65+N=830
Specificdiseaseormedicalproblem 45 50* 52** 45 23
Certainmedicaltreatmentorprocedure 35 38* 43** 34* 19
Healthinsurance,includingprivateinsurance,
MedicareorMedicaid20 24** 25** 18* 10
Pregnancyandchildbirth 10 24*** 12** 1 0
Foodsafetyorrecalls 16 17* 22** 14* 7
Drugsafetyorrecalls 13 14* 17* 13* 4
Medicaltestresults 12 12* 14* 14* 5
Howtoloseweightorcontrolyourweight 22 31** 28** 16* 6
Howtoreducehealthcarecosts 9 10* 12* 9* 3
Caringforanagingrelativeorfriend 12 12* 15* 11* 4
Drugyousawadvertised 13 15* 14* 14* 6
Anyotherhealthissue 17 17* 21* 17* 8
Source:PewInternetHealthSurvey,August7September6,2012.N=3,014adultsages18+.InterviewswereconductedinEnglishandSpanishandonlandlineandcellphones. Marginoferroris+/ 2.4percentagepointsforalladults.
*Statisticallysignificantdifferencecomparedwithothersinthesamegrouping.Additionalasterisksindicatea
moresignificantdifference.
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%ofalladultswhohaveeverlookedonlineforinformationaboutvarioushealthtopics,byeducationlevel
AllAdults
N=3,014
Education
LTHS
N=269
HS
N=830
Some
Coll.N=778
Coll+
N=1,115
Specificdiseaseormedicalproblem 45 16 31* 52** 64***
Certainmedicaltreatmentorprocedure 35 10 26* 40** 50***
Healthinsurance,includingprivateinsurance,
MedicareorMedicaid20 8 12 24** 30***
Pregnancyandchildbirth 10 8 6 12** 11*
Foodsafetyorrecalls 16 8 11 18** 22**
Drugsafetyorrecalls 13 5 9* 15** 19**
Medicaltestresults 12 2 6* 13** 22***
Howtoloseweightorcontrolyourweight 22 11 14 26** 30**
How
to
reduce
health
care
costs
9
5
6
10**
13**
Caringforanagingrelativeorfriend 12 4 8* 13** 16**
Drugyousawadvertised 13 4 9* 16** 17**
Anyotherhealthissue 17 6 11* 20** 24**
Source:PewInternetHealthSurvey,August7September6,2012.N=3,014adultsages18+.InterviewswereconductedinEnglishandSpanishandonlandlineandcellphones. Marginoferroris+/ 2.4percentagepointsforalladults.
*Statisticallysignificantdifferencecomparedwithothersinthesamegrouping.Additionalasterisksindicatea
moresignificantdifference.
Additionaldetails
about
the
health
insurance
landscape
in
the
U.S.
Health Insurance Coverage, by Type of Insurance%ofAmericanswhoreporthavingthefollowingtypesofhealthinsurance
Alladults
(n=3,014)
Privatehealthinsuranceofferedthroughan
employerorunion51%
Medicare 21
Medicaidorsomeothertypeofstatemedical
assistanceforlowincomepeople14
Privatehealthinsurancepaidbytheindividual 17
Healthinsurancethroughanyothersource,
includingmilitaryorveteranscoverage12
Totalinsured 82
Notinsured 18
Source:PewResearchCentersInternet&AmericanLifeProject,August7September6,2012Survey.N=3,014adultsandthemarginoferroris+/ 2.4percentagepointsforthefullsample.
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Womenaremorelikelytohavehealthinsurancethanmen,alongwithwhitesandAfricanAmericans
comparedtoHispanics. Thosewithahigherincomeandlevelofeducationarealsomorelikelytohave
healthinsurance. Verynearlyalladultsover65havehealthinsurance(99%),mostlyduetoMedicare.
Health insurance coverage, by demographic group%ofadultswithineachgroupwhohavehealthinsurance
Alladults(n=3,014) 82%
Men(n=1,337) 79
Women(n=1,677) 86*
Age
1829(n=478) 64
3049(n=833) 83*
5064(n=814) 86*
65+(n=830) 99***
Race/ethnicity
White,NonHispanic(n=1,864) 87**
Black,NonHispanic(n=497) 81*
Hispanic(n=427) 63
Annualhouseholdincome
Lessthan$30,000/yr(n=876) 67
$30,000$49,999(n=523) 84*
$50,000$74,999(n=371) 95**
$75,000+(n=680) 96**
Educationlevel
Nohighschooldiploma(n=269) 67
Highschoolgrad(n=830) 78*
SomeCollege(n=778) 82*
College+(n=1,115) 94***
Source:PewResearchCentersInternet&AmericanLifeProject,August7September6,2012Survey.N=3,014adultsandthemarginoferroris+/ 2.4percentagepointsforthefullsample.Marginsoferrorforsubpopulationsare
higher.
*Statisticallysignificantdifferencecomparedwithothersinthesamegroup.Additionalasterisksindicateamoresignificantdifference.
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Additionaldetailsaboutthosewhopostreviewsonline.
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Survey questions
Healt h Tracking Survey 2012 Revised Topline 11/27/2012
DataforAugust7September6,2012
Princeton Survey Research Associates International forthe Pew Research Centers Internet & American Life Project
Sample: n=3,014 national adults, age 18 and older, including 1,206 cell phone interviewsInterviewing dates: 08.07.2012 09.06.2012
Margin of error is plus or minus 2.4 percentage points for results based on total [n=3,014]
Margin of error is plus or minus 2.6 percentage points for results based on internet users [n=2,392]Margin of error is plus or minus 2.6 percentage points for results based on cell phone owners [n=2,581]
Margin of error is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points for results based on online health seekers [n=1,741]Margin of error is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points for results based on caregivers [n=1,171]
Q1 Overall,howwouldyouratethequalityoflifeforyouandyourfamilytoday?Wouldyousayitis
excellent,verygood,good,fairorpoor?
EXCELLENT VERY GOOD GOOD FAIR POOR DON'T KNOW2
REFUSED
Current 17 26 32 19 5 * *
2 For this question and many others throughout the topline, results for Dont know often reflect combined Dont knowand Refused percentages. DK and REF are reported separately where available.
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I NTUSE Do you use the internet, at least occasionally?
EMLOCCDo you send or receive email, at least occasionally?
I NTMOBDo you access the internet on a cell phone, tablet or other mobile handheld device, atleast occasionally?3
USES INTERNETDOES NOT USE
INTERNET
Current 81 19
QL1 Do you have a cell phone... or a Blackberry or iPhone or other device that is also a cellphone?4
YES NO DONT KNOW REFUSED
Current
85 15 * 0
SMPH Some cell phones are called smartphones because of certain features they have. Isyour cell phone a smartphone, such as an iPhone, Android, Blackberry or Windowsphone, or are you not sure?5
Based on cell phone owners
CURRENT
% 53 Yes, smartphone
40 No, not a smartphone
6 Not sure/Dont know
* Refused
[n=2,581]
3 The definition of an internet user varies from survey to survey. From January 2005 thru February 2012, an internet user issomeone who uses the internet at least occasionally or sends/receives email at least occasionally (two-part definition withquestion wording Do you use the internet, at least occasionally? OR Do you send or receive email, at leastoccasionally?). Prior to January 2005, an internet user is someone who goes online to access the internet or to send andreceive email (question wording Do you ever go online to access the Internet or World Wide Web or to send and receive
email?).4 Question was asked of landline sample only. Results shown here have been recalculated to include cell phone sample inthe "Yes" percentage. In past polls, question was sometimes asked as an independent question and sometimes as an itemin a series. In January 2010, question wording was Do you have...a cell phone or a Blackberry or iPhone or other handhelddevice that is also a cell phone. In Dec 2008, Nov 2008, May 2008, January 2005 and Nov 23-30 2004, question wordingwas "Do you happen to have a cell phone?" In August 2008, July 2008 and January 2008, question wording was "Do youhave a cell phone, or a Blackberry or other device that is also a cell phone?" In April 2008, Dec 2007, Sept 2007 and April2006, question wording was Do you have a cell phone? Beginning December 2007, question/item was not asked of thecell phone sample, but results shown here reflect Total combined Landline and cell phone sample.5 Prior to the current survey, question wording was slightly different: Some cell phones are called smartphones because ofcertain features they have. Is your cell phone a smartphone or not, or are you not sure?
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CELL1 Please tell me if you ever use your cell phone to do any of the following things. Do youever use your cell phone to [INSERT ITEMS; ALWAYS ASK a-b FIRST in order;RANDOMIZE c-f]?6
Based on cell phone owners
YES NO DONT KNOW REFUSED
a. Sendorreceiveemail
Current[N=2,581]50 50 * 0
b. Sendorreceivetextmessages
Current80 20 * 0
c. Takeapicture
Current82 18 * *
d. Accesstheinternet7
Current56 44 0 0
e. Lookforhealthormedical
informationonline8
Current31 69 * *
f. Checkyourbankaccountbalanceor
doanyonlinebanking9
Current29 70 * *
6 In May 2011, the question was asked of all Form B cell phone owners and Form A cell phone owners who said in CELL7that they do more than make calls on their phone. The percentages shown here are based on all cell phone users, countingas no Form A cell phone owners who said in CELL7 they use their phones only for making calls. Prior to May 2011,question was asked of all cell phone owners. Prior to January 2010, question wording was Please tell me if you ever useyour cell phone or Blackberry or other device to do any of the following things. Do you ever use it to [INSERT ITEM]? In
January 2010, question wording was Please tell me if you ever use your cell phone or Blackberry or other handheld deviceto do any of the following things. Do you ever use it to [INSERT ITEMS]? For January 2010, December 2009, andSeptember 2009, an answer category Cell phone cant do this was available as a volunteered option; No percentages forthose trends reflect combined No and Cell phone cant do this results.7 In December 2007, item wording was Access the internet for news, weather, sports, or other information8 In April 2012, question was asked of cell phone owners who use the internet or email on their cell phone or downloadapps to their cell phone [N=953]; results are re-percentaged on all cell phone owners. In September 2010, question was astandalone question with the following question wording: Do you ever use your cell phone to look up health or medicalinformation?9 In April 2012, question was asked of Form A cell phone owners who use the internet or email on their cell phone ordownload apps to their cell phone [N=953]; results are re-percentaged on all Form A cell phone owners.
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Q2 Switching topics... In general, how would you rate your own health excellent, good,only fair, or poor?
CURRENT
% 28 Excellent
52 Good
16 Only fair
4 Poor
* Dont know
* Refused
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Q3 Are you now living with any of the following health problems or conditions? First,[INSERT ITEM; RANDOMIZE a-e; ITEM f ALWAYS LAST]? And what about... [INSERTITEM]? [IF NECESSARY: Are you now living with [INSERT ITEM]?]
YES NO DON T KN OW REFU SED
a. Diabetesorsugardiabetes
Current11 88 * *
b. Highbloodpressure
Current25 74 1 *
c. Asthma,bronchitis,emphysema,orother
lungconditions
Current13 86 * *
d. Heartdisease,heartfailureorheartattack
Current7 92 * *
e. Cancer
Current3 96 * *
f. Anyotherchronichealthproblemor
conditionIhaventalreadymentioned
Current16 83 * *
Q4 In the last 12 months, have you personally...[INSERT ITEMS IN ORDER]?
YES NO DON T KN OW REFU SED
a. Facedaseriousmedicalemergencyor
crisis10
Current11 89 * *
b. Gonetotheemergencyroomorbeen
hospitalizedunexpectedly
Current17 83 * *
10 In September 2010, question was asked as a standalone question. For December 2008 and earlier, trend questionwording was: And in the last 12 months, have you or has someone close to you faced a serious medical emergency orcrisis?
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c. Experiencedanysignificantchangeinyour
physicalhealth,suchasgainingorlosinga
lotofweight,becomingpregnant,or
quittingsmoking11
Current18 81 * *
Q5 Thinking about the LAST time you had a serious health issue or experienced any
significant change in your physical health... Did you get information, care or supportfrom... [INSERT ITEM; RANDOMIZE]? [IF YES AND INTERNET USER: Did you interactwith them ONLINE through the internet or email, OFFLINE by visiting them in person ortalking on the phone, or BOTH online and offline?]12
YES,ONLINE
YES,OFFLINE YES, BOTH
NO, NOT ASOURCE
DONTKNOW REFUSED
a. Adoctororotherhealthcareprofessional
Current1 61 8 28 1 1
b. Friendsandfamily
Current1 39 20 39 * 1
c. Otherswhohavethesamehealth
condition
Current2 15 7 73 1 1
11 In September 2010, question was asked as a standalone question with the following question wording: And in the last 12months, have you experienced any other significant change in your physical health, such as gaining or losing a lot of weight,becoming pregnant, or quitting smoking?12 September 2010 question wording was slightly different: Thinking about the LAST time you had a health issue, did youget information, care or support from [INSERT; RANDOMIZE]? [IF YES AND INTERNET USER: Did you interact with themONLINE through the internet or email, OFFLINE by visiting them in person or talking on the phone, or BOTH online andoffline?]
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[READ TO ALL:] On another topic...
CARE2 In the past 12 months, have you provided UNPAID care to an adult relative or friend 18years or older to help them take care of themselves? Unpaid care may include help withpersonal needs or household chores. It might be managing a persons finances,arranging for outside services, or visiting regularly to see how they are doing. Thisperson need not live with you.
[IF R ASKS IF GIVING MONEY COUNTS, ASK:] Aside from giving money, do you provideany other type of unpaid care to help them take care of themselves, such as help withpersonal needs, household chores, arranging for outside services, or other things?
CURRENT
% 36 Yes
64 No
* Dont know
* Refused
CARE3 Do you provide this type of care to just one adult, or do you care for more than oneadult?
Based on those who provide unpaid care to adults
CURRENT
% 66 One adult only
34 Provide care to multiple adults
* Dont know
* Refused
[n=1,085]
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CARE4 [ASK IF PROVIDE UNPAID CARE TO ONE ADULT:] Is this person your parent or yourmother-in-law or father-in-law, or not?13
CARE5 [ASK IF PROVIDE UNPAID CARE TO MULTIPLE ADULTS, DONT KNOW OR REFUSED:]Are any of the adults you care for your parent or your mother-in-law or father-in-law, ornot?14
Based on those who provide unpaid care to adults
CURRENT
% 47 Yes, parent or mother-in-law/father-in-law
53 No, not a parent or mother-in-law/father-in-law
* Dont know
* Refused
[n=1,085]
CARE6 In the past 12 months, have you provided UNPAID care to any CHILD under the age of18 because of a medical, behavioral, or other condition or disability? This could includecare for ongoing medical conditions or serious short-term conditions, emotional orbehavioral problems, or developmental problems, including mental retardation.
CURRENT
% 8 Yes
92 No
* Dont know
* Refused
13 September 2010 question wording was slightly different: Is this person a parent of yours, or not?14 September 2010 question wording was slightly different: Are any of the adults you care for a parent of yours, or not?
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Q6 Now, wed like to know if youve looked for information ONLINE about certain health ormedical issues, either for yourself or someone else. Specifically, in the last 12 months,have you looked online for information about... [INSERT FIRST ITEM; ASK a-b FIRST INORDER THEN RANDOMIZE c-k; ITEM L ALWAYS LAST]? In the last 12 months, have youlooked online for information about... [INSERT NEXT ITEM]?15
Based on all internet users [N=2,392]
YES, HAVEDONE THIS
NO, HAVE NOTDONE THIS DONT KNOW REFUSED
a. Aspecificdiseaseormedicalproblem
Current55 44 * *
b. Acertainmedicaltreatmentorprocedure
Current43 56 * *
c. Healthinsurance,includingprivate
insurance,MedicareorMedicaid
Current25 75 * *
d. Pregnancyandchildbirth
Current12 88 0 *
e. Foodsafetyorrecalls
Current19 80 * *
f. Drugsafetyorrecalls
Current16 84 * *
g. Medicaltestresults
Current15 85 * *
h. Howtoloseweightorhowtocontrolyour
weight
Current27 73 * *
i. Howtoreduceyourhealthcarecosts
Current 11 89 * *
15 Prior to the current survey, question wording was: Now, wed like to ask if youve looked for information ONLINE aboutcertain health or medical issues. Specifically, have you ever looked online for [INSERT ITEM]? List of items may varyfrom survey to survey. The phrase in the last 12 months was added in the 2012 survey.
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YES, HAVEDONE THIS
NO, HAVE NOTDONE THIS DONT KNOW REFUSED
j. Caringforanagingrelativeorfriend
Current14 86 * *
k. Adrugyousawadvertised
Current16 84 * *
l. Anyotherhealthissue
Current20 79 * *
Totalyestoanyitemabove72
Totalnotoallitems
28
Q7 Thinking about the LAST time you went online for health or medical information... Didyou go online to look for information related to YOUR OWN health or medical situationor SOMEONE ELSES health or medical situation?
Based on online health seekers
CURRENT
% 39 Own
39 Someone elses
15 Both (VOL.)
3 Dont know
3 Refused
[n=1,741]
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Q8 Still thinking about the LAST time you went online to look for health information... Howdid you begin looking? Did you start... [READ 1-4 IN ORDER]
Based on online health seekers [N=1,741]
CURRENT
% 77 At a search engine such as Google, Bing or Yahoo
13 At a site that specializes in health information, like WebMD
2 At a more general site like Wikipedia, that contains information on all kinds of
topics, OR
1 At a social network site like Facebook?
3 (VOL.) Other (SPECIFY)
2 (VOL.) Dont know
2 (VOL.) Refused
There is no Question Q9.
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Q10 When looking for health information online, have you ever been asked to PAY for accessto something you wanted to see on the internet?
Based on online health seekers [N=1,741]
CURRENT
% 26 Yes
73 No
1 Dont know
* Refused
Q11 The last time you were asked to PAY to access health content online, what did you do?Did you... [READ 1-3; READ CATEGORIES IN REVERSE ORDER FOR HALF THE SAMPLE]
Based on online health seekers who have been asked to pay for health content online [N=456]
CURRENT
% 2 Pay for access
83 Try to find the same information somewhere else
13 Give up
1 (VOL.) Other
* (VOL.) Dont know
* (VOL.) Refused
Q12 Have you ever gone online specifically to try to figure out what medical condition you orsomeone else might have?
Based on online health seekers [N=1,741]
CURRENT
% 59 Yes
40 No
* Dont know
* Refused
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Q13 Did the information you found online lead you to think that this was a condition thatneeded the attention of a doctor or other medical professional, or that it was somethingyou could take care of at home?
Based on online health seekers who have gone online to figure out what medical condition they or someoneelse might have [N=1,003]
CURRENT
% 46 Needed attention of doctor
38 Could take care of at home
11 Both/in-between (VOL.)
4 Dont know
1 Refused
Q14 Did you happen to talk with a medical professional about what you found online?
Based on online health seekers who have gone online to figure out what medical condition they or someoneelse might have [N=1,003]
CURRENT
% 53 Yes
46 No
1 Dont know
1 Refused
Q15 Did a medical professional confirm what you thought the condition was with a medicaldiagnosis, did they offer a different medical opinion or diagnosis, or did you not visit adoctor or other medical professional for a diagnosis?
Based on online health seekers who have gone online to figure out what medical condition they or someoneelse might have [N=1,003]
CURRENT
% 41 Yes, confirmed
18 No, did not confirm/offered different diagnosis
35 Did not visit a doctor or medical professional for a diagnosis
2 Confirmed part but not all of Rs diagnosis (VOL.)
1 Medical professional was unable to diagnose (VOL.)
1 Dont know
1 Refused
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Q16 Apart from looking for information online, there are many different activities related tohealth and medical issues a person might do on the internet. Im going to read a list ofonline health-related activities you may or may not have done in the last 12 months.Just tell me if you happened to do each one, or not. (First,) in the last 12 months, haveyou... [INSERT ITEM; RANDOMIZE]? In the last 12 months, have you...[INSERT ITEM]?
YES NO DONT KNOW REFUSED
a. Signeduptoreceiveemailupdatesoralerts
abouthealthormedicalissues
Currentinternetusers[N=2,392]11 89 * *
b. Readorwatchedsomeoneelse'scommentary
orpersonalexperienceabouthealthormedical
issuesonline
Currentinternetusers
26 74 * *
c. Goneonlinetofindotherswhomighthave
healthconcernssimilartoyours
Currentinternetusers16 84 * *
d. Downloadedformsonlineorappliedforhealth
insuranceonline,includingprivateinsurance,
Medicare,orMedicaid
Currentinternetusers12 88 * 0
Q17 Still thinking just about the last 12 months, have you posted a health-related questiononline or shared your own personal health experience online in any way?
Based on all internet users [N=2,392]
CURRENT
% 8 Yes
92 No
* Dont know
0 Refused
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Q18 And what was it that you posted or shared online? Was it a specific QUESTION aboutyour health, a COMMENT or STORY about your personal health experience, or BOTH aquestion and a comment?
Based on internet users who have posted about a health topic or shared a health experience online [N=173]
CURRENT
% 19 Specific health question
40 Comments/Stories about personal health experiences
38 Both
2 Neither/Something else (VOL.)
1 Dont know
0 Refused
Q19 And the LAST time you posted or shared health material online, did you post it
somewhere specifically to get feedback from a health professional, or did you post itsomewhere it would be read by a more general audience of friends or other internetusers?
Based on internet users who have posted about a health topic or shared a health experience online [N=173]
CURRENT
% 11 Health professional
78 More general audience
4 Both (VOL.)
5 Neither/Something else (VOL.)
1 Dont know
0 Refused
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Q20 Thinking again about health-related activities you may or may not do online, have you...[INSERT ITEM; RANDOMIZE]?(Next,) have you...[INSERT ITEM]?16
YES NO DONT KNOW REFUSED
a. Consultedonlinerankingsorreviewsofdoctors
orotherproviders17
Currentinternetusers[N=2,392]17 83 * *
b. Consultedonlinerankingsorreviewsof
hospitalsorothermedicalfacilities18
Currentinternetusers14 86 * 0
c. Consultedonlinereviewsofparticulardrugsor
medicaltreatments
Currentinternetusers18 82 1 *
d. Postedareviewonlineofadoctor
Currentinternetusers4 96 0 0
e. Postedareviewonlineofahospital
Currentinternetusers3 97 * *
f. Postedyourexperienceswithaparticulardrug
ormedicaltreatmentonline
Currentinternetusers3 97 * 0
16 Current question was asked of all internet users. September 2010 trend question was also asked of all internet users,with items asked in rotated order. December 2008 trend question was asked of online health seekers, with thefollowing question wording: There are many different activities related to health and medical issues a person might doon the internet. Im going to read a list of things you may or may not have ever done online related to health andmedical issues. Just tell me if you happened to do each one, or not. Have you [INSERT ITEM; ROTATE]?17 December 2008 trend item wording was Consulted rankings or reviews online of doctors or other providers18 December 2008 trend item wording was Consulted rankings or reviews online of hospitals or other medical facilities
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[READ TO CELL PHONE OWNERS:] Now thinking about how you might use your cell phone tohelp manage your health...
Q21 Do you receive any TEXT updates or alerts about health or medical issues, such as fromyour doctors or pharmacists?
Based on cell phone owners who text message [N=1,896]
CURRENT
% 9 Yes
91 No
* Dont know
* Refused
Q22 On your cell phone, do you happen to have any software applications or apps thathelp you track or manage your health, or not?
Based on cell phone owners
CURRENT
% 11 Yes
88 No
1 Dont know
* Refused
[n=2,581]
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Q23 What kind of health apps do you currently have on your phone? [IF NECESSARY,CLARIFY: What health issue or topic do your apps deal with?] [DO NOT READ;PRECODED OPEN-END]
Based on those who have health apps on their cell phone [N=254]
CURRENT
% 38 Exercise, fitness, pedometer or heart rate monitoring (includes specific types of
exercise like running, ab workouts, yoga, etc.)
31 Diet, food, calorie counter
12 Weight
7 Period or menstrual cycle
5 Blood pressure
4 WebMD
3 Pregnancy
2 Blood sugar or diabetes
2 Medication management (tracking, alerts, etc.)
* Mood
* Sleep
14 Other (SPECIFY)
6 Dont know
* Refused
Note: Total may exceed 100% due to multiple responses.
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[READ TO ALL:] A few last questions for statistical purposes only...
I NS1 Now I would like to ask you about any health insurance you CURRENTLY have that helpspay for the cost of health care. Im going to read a list of a few types of healthinsurance, and Id like you to tell me which of these you have, if any. (First,) are younow PERSONALLY covered by [INSERT ITEMS IN ORDER]?
[IF RESPONDENT NOT SURE WHICH INSURANCE IS INCLUDED: Please think aboutinsurance plans that cover the costs of doctor and hospital bills IN GENERAL, and NOTthose that cover ONLY dental or eye care or the costs of caring for specific diseases.]
[IF RESPONDENTS TRY TO TELL TYPE THEY HAVE INSTEAD OF GOING THROUGH THELIST: Im sorry but I have to ask about each type of insurance for the survey. Just tellme no if you dont have this type.]
YES NO DON T KN OW REFUSED
a. Privatehealthinsuranceofferedthroughan
employerorunion[IFNO:Thiscouldbe
insurancethroughacurrentjob,aformerjob,
yourjoborsomeoneelsesjob.]51 47 1 1
b. Aprivatehealthinsuranceplanthatyoubought
yourself17 82 1 1
c. Medicaid,[IFSTATECALIFORNIA:MediCal],or
someothertypeofstatemedicalassistancefor
lowincomepeople14 85 1 *
d. Medicare,thegovernmentprogramthatpays
healthcarebillsforpeopleoverage65andfor
somedisabledpeople21 78 1 *
ItemE:
Based
on
those
who
are
not
insured
through
privatehealthinsurance,Medicaid,orMedicare
[N=526]
e. HealthinsurancethroughANYothersource,
includingmilitaryorveteranscoverage12 87 * 1
I NS2 Medicare is health insurance coverage most people receive when they turn 65 and areeligible for Social Security. This includes different kinds of health plans offeredTHROUGH the Medicare program like the plans called H-M-Os. Are you now coveredby Medicare or by ANY Medicare plan?
Based on those age 65 and older who are not covered by Medicare [N=82]
CURRENT
% 38 Yes, covered
56 No, not covered
3 Dont know
3 Refused
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I NS3 Does this mean you personally have NO health insurance now that would cover yourdoctor or hospital bills?
Based on those who are not covered by any health insurance or are undesignated [N=450]
CURRENT
% 91 I do NOT have health insurance
7 I HAVE some kind of health insurance
1 Dont know
2 Refused
SUMMARY OF INSURANCE STATUS (BASED ON I NS1, I NS2, I NS3)
CURRENT
% 82 Insured
18 Not insured
The remaining demographic questions are not reported in this topline.
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Methodology
Summary
The2012HealthSurvey,sponsoredbythePewResearchCentersInternet&AmericanLifeProjectand
theCaliforniaHealthCareFoundation,obtainedtelephoneinterviewswithanationallyrepresentative
sampleof3,014adultslivingintheUnitedStates.Telephoneinterviewswereconductedbylandline
(1,808)andcellphone(1,206,including624withoutalandlinephone).Thesurveywasconductedby
PrincetonSurveyResearchAssociatesInternational.InterviewsweredoneinEnglishandSpanishby
PrincetonDataSourcefromAugust7toSeptember6,2012.Statisticalresultsareweightedtocorrect
knowndemographicdiscrepancies.Themarginofsamplingerrorforthecompletesetofweighteddata
is2.4percentagepoints.
DESIGNANDDATACOLLECTIONPROCEDURES
SampleDesign
Acombinationoflandlineandcellrandomdigitdial(RDD)sampleswasusedtoreacharepresentative
sampleofalladultstheUnitedStateswhohaveaccesstoeitheralandlineorcellulartelephone.Both
samplesweredisproportionatelystratifiedtoincreasetheincidenceofAfricanAmericanandHispanic
respondents.Withinstrata,phonenumbersweredrawnwithequalprobabilities.Thelandlinesamples
werelistassistedanddrawnfromactiveblockscontainingthreeormoreresidentiallistingwhilethecell
sampleswerenotlistassisted,butweredrawnthroughasystematicsamplingfromdedicatedwireless
100blocksandsharedservice100blockswithnodirectorylistedlandlinenumbers.
ContactProcedures
InterviewswereconductedfromAugust7toSeptember6,2012.Asmanyas7attemptsweremadeto
contacteverysampledtelephonenumber.Samplewasreleasedforinterviewinginreplicates,whichare
representativesubsamplesofthelargersample.Usingreplicatestocontrolthereleaseofsample
ensuresthatcompletecallproceduresarefollowedfortheentiresample.Callswerestaggeredover
timesofdayanddaysoftheweektomaximizethechanceofmakingcontactwithpotential
respondents.Eachphonenumberreceivedatleastonedaytimecall.
Forthelandlinesample,interviewersaskedtospeakwitheithertheyoungestmaleoryoungestfemale
currentlyathomebasedonarandomrotation.Ifnomale/femalewasavailableatthetimeofthecall,
interviewersaskedtospeakwiththeyoungestadultoftheoppositesex.Thissystematicrespondent
selectiontechniquehasbeenshowntoproducesamplesthatcloselymirrorthepopulationintermsof
ageandgenderwhencombinedwithcellsample.
Forthecellsample,interviewswereattemptedwiththepersonwhoansweredthephone.Interviewers
firstverifiedthatthepersonwasandadultandinasafeplacebeforecontinuingwiththeinterview.
WEIGHTINGANDANALYSIS
Weightingisgenerallyusedinsurveyanalysistoadjustforeffectsofthesampledesignandto
compensateforpatternsofnonresponsethatmightbiasresults.Theweightingwasaccomplishedin
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multiplestagestoaccountforthedisproportionatelystratifiedsample,theoverlappinglandlineandcell
sampleframesanddifferentialnonresponseassociatedwithsampledemographics.
Thefirststageofweightingcompensatedforthedisproportionatesampledesign.Thisadjustment
(calledSAMPWTinthedataset)wascomputedbydividingtheproportionofthepopulationfromeach
stratumbytheproportionofsampledrawnfromthestratum.Thelandlineandcellsamplesweredrawn
usingthesamerelativesamplingfractionswithinstratasothe.Table1showstheSAMPWTvaluesby
strata.
Table1.SAMPWTbyStratum
Strata
Population
Dist'n
Sample
Dist'n SAMPWT
1 10.8% 4.1% 2.63
2 9.0% 3.4% 2.63
3 9.8% 3.7% 2.63
4 9.5% 3.6% 2.63
5 10.6% 8.1% 1.31
6 9.0% 10.2% 0.88
7 9.7% 11.1% 0.88
8 11.4% 17.4% 0.66
9 9.3% 17.8% 0.53
10 10.7% 20.5% 0.53
Thesecondstageofweightingcorrectedfordifferentprobabilitiesofselectionbasedonthe
numberofadultsineachhouseholdandeachrespondentstelephoneuse(i.e.,whethertherespondent
hasaccesstoalandline,toacellphoneortobothtypesofphone).
Thesecondstageweightcanbeexpressedas:
1
1
LLi =1ifrespondenthasalandlinephoneand=0ifrespondenthasnolandlinephone
CP =1ifrespondenthasacellphoneand=0ifrespondenthasnocellphone
SLL thesizeofthelandlinesample
SCP thesizeofthecellsample
R theestimatedratioofthesizeofthelandlinesampleframetothesizeofthecell
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sampleframe.ForthissurveyR=0.55.
Bothadjustmentswereincorporatedintoafirststageweightthatwasusedasaninputweightforpost
stratification.Thedatawasrakedtomatchsampledistributionstopopulationparameters.TheAfrican
AmericanandWhite/Othersampleswererakedtomatchparametersforsexbyage,sexbyeducation,agebyeducationandregion.Hispanicswererakedtomatchpopulationparametersforsexbyage,sex
byeducation,agebyeducationandregion.Inaddition,theHispanicgroupwasrakedtoanativity
parameter.
Thecombineddatawasthenrakedtomatchpopulationparametersforsexbyage,sexbyeducation,
agebyeducation,region,householdphoneuseandpopulationdensity.Thewhite,nonHispanic
subgroupwasalsobalancedbyage,educationandregion.Thetelephoneusageparameterwasderived
fromananalysisofrecentlyavailableNationalHealthInterviewSurveydata19.Thepopulationdensity
parameteriscountybasedandwasderivedfromCensus2000data.Allotherweightingparameters
werederivedfromtheCensusBureaus2011AnnualSocialandEconomicSupplement(ASEC).
Thisstageofweighting,whichincorporatedeachrespondent'sfirststageweight,wasaccomplished
usingSampleBalancing,aspecialiterativesampleweightingprogramthatsimultaneouslybalancesthe
distributionsofallvariablesusingastatisticaltechniquecalledtheDemingAlgorithm.Theraking
correctsfordifferentialnonresponsethatisrelatedtoparticulardemographiccharacteristicsofthe
sample.Thisweightensuresthatthedemographiccharacteristicsofthesamplecloselyapproximatethe
demographiccharacteristicsofthepopulation.Table2comparesfullsampleweightedandunweighted
sampledemographicstopopulationparameters.
19 Blumberg SJ, Luke JV. Wireless substitution: Early release of estimates from the National Health Interview Survey,July-December, 2011. National Center for Health Statistics. June 2012.
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Table2.SampleDemographics
Parameter Unweighted Weighted
Gender
Male 48.6 44.4 48.9
Female 51.4 55.6 51.1
Age
18-24 12.8 10.0 12.8
25-34 18.0 12.4 17.5
35-44 17.2 13.2 17.3
45-54 19.0 17.8 19.2
55-64 16.0 18.5 16.0
65+ 17.0 28.1 17.3
Education (changed)
Less than HS Graduate 13.3 9.0 11.7HS Graduate 30.4 27.7 30.6
Some College/AssocDegree 28.5 26.0 28.8
College Graduate 27.8 37.3 28.9
Race/Ethnicity
White/not Hispanic 67.8 63.0 68.1
Black/not Hispanic 11.5 16.8 11.8
Hisp - US born 6.6 7.6 6.6
Hisp - born outside 7.4 6.8 7.0
Other/not Hispanic 6.7 5.7 6.5
Region
Northeast 18.3 16.4 19.2
Midwest 21.7 19.0 22.1
South 36.8 41.5 36.1
West 23.2 23.0 22.6
(continued)
Table2.SampleDemographics(continued)
County Pop. Density
1 - Lowest 20.1 18.8 20.4
2 20.0 18.0 20.1
3 20.1 18.9 20.2
4 20.2 20.0 19.9
5 - Highest 19.6 24.4 19.3
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Household Phone Use
LLO 7.0 7.9 7.2
Dual - few,some cell 39.0 54.4 40.3
Dual - most cell 18.8 16.9 18.9
CPO 35.2 20.8 33.6
EffectsofSampleDesignonStatisticalInference
Postdatacollectionstatisticaladjustmentsrequireanalysisproceduresthatreflectdeparturesfrom
simplerandomsampling.PSRAIcalculatestheeffectsofthesedesignfeaturessothatanappropriate
adjustmentcanbeincorporatedintotestsofstatisticalsignificancewhenusingthesedata.Thesocalled
"designeffect"ordeffrepresentsthelossinstatisticalefficiencythatresultsfromadisproportionate
sampledesignandsystematicnonresponse.Thetotalsampledesigneffectforthissurveyis1.75.
PSRAIcalculatesthecompositedesigneffectforasampleofsizen,witheachcasehavingaweight,wi
as:
2
1
1
2
n
i
i
n
i
i
w
wn
deff formula1
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Inawiderangeofsituations,theadjustedstandarderrorofastatisticshouldbecalculatedby
multiplyingtheusualformulabythesquarerootofthedesigneffect(deff).Thus,theformulafor
computingthe95%confidenceintervalaroundapercentageis:
where p isthesampleestimateandnistheunweightednumberofsamplecasesinthegroupbeing
considered.
Thesurveysmarginoferroristhelargest95%confidenceintervalforanyestimatedproportionbased
onthetotalsampletheonearound50%.Forexample,themarginoferrorfortheentiresampleis
2.4percentagepoints.Thismeansthatin95outofevery100samplesdrawnusingthesame
methodology,estimatedproportionsbasedontheentiresamplewillbenomorethan2.4percentage
pointsawayfromtheirtruevaluesinthepopulation.Itisimportanttorememberthatsampling
fluctuationsareonlyonepossiblesourceoferrorinasurveyestimate.Othersources,suchas
respondentselectionbias,questionwordingandreportinginaccuracymaycontributeadditionalerrorof
greaterorlessermagnitude.Table3showsdesigneffectsandmarginsoferrorforkeysubgroups.
Table3.DesignEffectsandMarginsofSamplingError
Sample
Size
Design
Effect MarginofError
TotalSample 3,014 1.75 2.4percentagepoints
White,notHispanic 1,864 1.75 3.0percentagepoints
AfricanAmerican,notHispanic 497 1.62 5.6percentagepointsHispanic 427 1.56 5.9percentagepoints
n
ppdeffp
)1(96.1 formula2
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RESPONSERATE
Table4reportsthedispositionofallsampledtelephonenumberseverdialedfromtheoriginal
telephonenumbersamples.Theresponserateestimatesthefractionofalleligiblesamplethatwas
ultimatelyinterviewed.20
Table 4. Sample Disposition
Landline Cell
1807 1205 I=Completes
8660 10980 R=Refusal and breakoff
3941 5570 NC=Non contact
164 87 O=Other
40051 13668 OF=Business/computer/not working/child's cell phone
4225 619 UH/UO=Unknown household/Unknown other
0.27 0.57 AAPOR's e=(I+R+NC+O)/(I+R+NC+O+OF)
11.5% 6.6% AAPOR RR3=I/[I+R+NC+O+(e*UH/UO)]
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