Cybercitizen® Health Europe v8.0 Overview - Episode 21
Amanda Keylor, Healthcare Analyst

As more and more consumers adopt technology and the Internet into their daily lives in the United States, many people wonder if the same trends are occurring in other countries.  As Manhattan Research’s recently released Cybercitizen Health Europe shows, Internet adoption continues to increase in Europe. In 2008, 177.2 million consumers are using the Internet which is up from the 160.4 million consumers online in 2007.  While Internet use continues to rise, despite what some naysayers may have predicted, other forms of media are not just going idly by the wayside.  On the contrary, about three-quarters of consumers still read books, magazines and/or newspapers. And it’s not just print media that is still alive and kicking, the majority of online European consumers still report watching TV and listening to the radio.  With the pace of today’s busy and hectic world, it should come as no surprise that many online consumers are multi-tasking.  At least half of the online consumers who watch TV or listen to the radio say that they sometimes or frequently watch TV or listen to the radio while surfing the Internet at the same time.  This makes it easy to chat with a friend while watching the same show or to visit a website from a commercial that was just on the radio.

Given that there are numerous activities to do online, it can be hard to choose between reading blogs, social networking, playing online games, and checking out recently posted videos from artists, friends or whatever happens to be new on YouTube.  In fact, 64% of online European consumers say they watch video clips online.  Other popular online activities include instant messaging and listening to or downloading music or audio files, as more than half of these consumers say use or participate in these activities.

Another common, albeit less “sexy”, Internet behavior is researching health information. Almost half of online European consumers are looking for health information on the Internet.  A brief scan of the Internet shows that are countless ways to access a wealth of health information with just a few clicks of a mouse. Virtually any health-related topic can be found online. Do you have questions about some health concerns your best friend mentioned having? Just go to Google, as most European consumers (as well as their American counterparts) do, and begin your search for symptoms, conditions, treatments and support groups or other resources. Read up on the latest fitness craze, the newest way to lose weight, or check your risk for developing heart disease or diabetes. Check out a pharmaceutical company’s site or even a product site like millions of European consumers do. Even though there is no direct-to-consumer marketing in Europe, consumers are still seeking out pharmaceutical information, whether it be through corporate sites or group-sourcing sites like Wikipedia.  In fact, Wikipedia has become one of the most popular online destinations for eHealth consumers and should not be ignored, as it can be a source of credible information relating to pharmaceutical products.  As it turns out, most European consumers expect pharmaceutical companies to monitor their Wikipedia pages.  Given that Wikipedia is available in hundreds of languages with thousands of entries, it’s no surprise that consumers turn to it to research their health questions.

So as more and more parts of the world becoming increasingly wired, stay tuned to Manhattan Research’s podcasts for global insights into health trends.


If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future podcasts, please email podcast@manhattanresearch.com.



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