U.S. Adults Choosing Internet Over Sex

Some Web lovers would rather go without sex for a couple of weeks rather than give up surfing cyberspace for the same amount of time.

That's according to a survey of more than 2,100 U.S. adults conducted by Harris Interactive and sponsored by Intel. The November poll, released Monday, found that most adults consider the Internet essential to daily life in the current economic downturn.

Fully 65% of the respondents felt they couldn't live without Internet access, and 71% said it is important or very important to have Internet-enabled devices, such as laptops and smartphones that can provide updates on important issues, such as the state of the economy, Intel said. Most of the respondents said the Web is a key tool in managing personal finances and in finding discounts and the best deals while shopping online.

Respondents rated the Internet as indispensable compared with other discretionary items, such as dining out, shopping for clothes, and gym memberships. Nearly half of the women aged 18 to 44 surveyed, or 46%, said they would rather go without sex for two weeks than give up the Internet for the same amount of time. Some 30% of the male respondents said the same.

More than eight in 10 of the respondents agreed that Internet-enabled devices helped them stay up to date on the state of the economy, while almost nine in 10 said the Internet has saved them money. Of the latter, 84% lowered costs by comparing prices online and 65% said they saved money by searching for coupons, discounts or special Internet promotions.

In a separate survey, Billeo, a company that provides tools for managing online bill paying, found that more than half of people who do their financial transactions online never pay late fees.

When it comes to TV, nearly six in 10 of the respondents said they would give up watching television for two weeks rather than give up a week of the Web.

Finally, more than nine out of 10 adults said the Internet has improved at least one aspect of their lives. Within this group, the most popular improvements included staying in touch with friends and family and being able to shop more effectively.