Almost Everyone Goes Online for Health Research

by Michele Deutschman

More adults are using the Internet as one of their primary research tools when it comes to information about their health. Almost all (9 in 10) online adults have used the internet for health research in the past year, according to Kantar Media’s 2014 MARS Online Behavior Study.

Of those:

• 83% say, “The internet provides a wealth of resources when searching for health and wellness information.”
• 73% say, “Having access to online health and wellness tools and information is critical.”
• 65% say, “The internet is the first source I turn to when researching health and wellness.”

Why are the using the Internet? Two thirds are trying to gain general knowledge about conditions while 57% are researching symptoms they or someone else is experiencing. See chart for more.

For more information about accessing full study results, contact us here.

The MARS Online Behavior Study helps the industry make better decisions about how to incorporate online into pharmaceutical and OTC marketing strategies. The MARS Online Behavior Study is fielded as a re-contact among the MARS Core respondents who said they accessed the Internet in the last 30 days.