http://www.bizreport.com/article.php?id=1666 By Steve Gold 2001-07-06 Security worries do not deter consumers in the U.S. and U.K. from using online financial services, according to a new report from Datamonitor. They are, instead, being put off by Internet cost and knowledge issues. The study forms part of Datamonitor's annual impact survey of Internet users on both sides of the Atlantic. Datamonitor spokeswoman Krishna Rao told Newsbytes that this is the third year in which the company has carried out its Impact research, which looks U.S. and U.K. consumers' use of the Internet. "The research covers areas such as energy, automotive, telecommunications and technology industries, and allows us to create a database, from which reports can be drawn," she said. The electronic financial services (eFS) report found that, while security appeared on many users' worry lists, the reliability of information was also of primary concern. The study concluded that Internet surfers only tend to worry about security issues after they have used an online service, rather than before. The report, authored by Datamonitor analyst Derrick Brown, says that security is not the only issue that online financial service providers must address when it comes to getting users to buy. In three of the six European countries surveyed, Datamonitor said it found that those who do not use online financial services are more likely to be concerned about the expense of the Internet. "This means that perceptions of Internet cost may be keeping people from banking online," says the report, adding that the effect is less pronounced in the U.S. and the U.K., where Internet access costs are lower than in other countries. The research also found that consumers in the two nations are more concerned about online security than those in continental Europe, probably due to media reports about security breaches, Datamonitor said. The research took in responses from more than 7,500 research subjects in the U.S., the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Sweden. Reported by Newsbytes ISN is hosted by SecurityFocus.com --- To unsubscribe email isn-unsubscribeat_private
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