New Paradigm Global Survey shows the global power of connected youth

    BOSTON, MA, July 11 /PRNewswire/ - A comprehensive survey in 12
 countries of more than 7,600 young people between the ages of 16 - 29 shows
 that 77% of today's online youth would sooner live without television than
 live without the Internet. China has the most devoted young Internet users,
 with 87% choosing the Internet compared to 13% favoring television. In the
 United States the figures were 77% for the Internet and 23% for TV.
     The survey was conducted by New Paradigm, the Toronto-based think-tank
 headed by business strategist and best-selling author Don Tapscott. The
 survey is part of a $4 million study of today's digital-savvy youth -
 dubbed the "Net Generation" by Tapscott - who have grown up "bathed in
 bits."
     Other survey findings included:
 
     -  When asked to choose whether they want to be smarter or better
        looking, 69% of the world's N-Geners choose being smarter
     -  When evaluating a potential employer, 88% of N-Geners in China say a
        company's prestige is important. This figure drops to 83% in India,
        72% in Russia, and 51% in the US.
     -  56% of the world's online youth would prefer to make the world a
        better place than to improve their local community.
     -  73% of the N-Gen globally say that if a company makes untrue promises
        in its advertising, they will tell their friends not to buy its
        products.
     -  52% say that teens and young adults are portrayed too negatively in
        today's media.
     Commenting on why so many N-Geners choose the Internet over TV,
 Tapscott said that television is unidirectional and passive, and doesn't
 allow meaningful participation by the viewer. In contrast, the Internet
 enables users to find and share information and take action.
     "Look at Live Earth concerts this past weekend," said Tapscott. "More
 than 10,000 'Friends of Live Earth' events were pulled together in 130
 countries. People around the world could go online for background
 materials, event guidelines, suggestions for running a green event, advice
 on how to receive a concert satellite feed, and updates when additional
 materials such as short films became available. Television can't do these
 sorts of things.
     "Rich multi-media sites such as LiveEarth.org and Al Gore's
 AllianceForClimateProtection.org show how the Net Generation can employ
 digital tools to make a difference. While high-profile media events like
 the Live Earth concerts help raise awareness, the global warming battle
 will be won in the trenches of the Internet."
     Further findings of the global survey were released today in Boston at
 a conference about the Net Generation for New Paradigm's clients. Twenty of
 the world's leading companies are sponsoring the N-Gen study, including
 Nokia, MetLife, Fedex, Accenture, Cisco Systems, and MasterCard.
     About New Paradigm
     New Paradigm is a think tank headed by IT strategist, speaker, and
 best-selling author Don Tapscott (Wikinomics, Growing Up Digital). Since
 1993 New Paradigm has provided clients with insightful, thought-provoking
 analysis of emerging technology trends and their impact on business, and
 serves as a "strategic early warning system" for clients, helping them
 distinguish real imperatives from all the hype and noise.
     About the New Paradigm Global Net Generation Survey
     This survey was conducted online between April 5 and May 3, 2007 among
 7,692 respondents in 12 countries (U.S., Canada, U.K., Germany, France,
 Spain, Mexico, Brazil, Russia, China, Japan, and India). Figures for age,
 sex, race/ethnicity, and region were weighted where necessary to bring them
 in line with their actual proportions in the population.
     All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability
 sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are often not
 possible to quantify or estimate. With a pure probability sample of 7,692
 respondents one could say with 95% probability that overall results would
 have a sampling error of +/- 1.1 percentage points. This online survey is
 not based on a probability sample and therefore no theoretical sampling
 error may be calculated.
 
 

SOURCE New Paradigm of Toronto