GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ -- Propelled by the convenience of e-mail and the power of flattery, the "I LoveYou" computer virus spread through Asia and Europe and into the in-boxes of thousands of American e-mail users. A new Gallup poll of American e-mail users shows that e-mail users were very aware of the "ILoveYou" virus and that about one out of five was victimized by it, but that less than 10% of e-mail users who are employed say that it caused a major inconvenience at their place of work. Although most e-mail users are now being more careful about opening attachments, very few are switching their e-mail software, or buying new anti-virus protection software. About a third of Microsoft Outlook users received the virus, compared to fifteen percent of those who use other e-mail software.
A random sample of Americans was polled online after identifying themselves as e-mail users in previous Gallup Poll telephone interviews. A total of 261 e-mail users were included in this poll. Within certain sampling and margin of error limitations, the results are representative of the population of e-mail users in the United States.
Everyone Aware but Few Affected
Perhaps not
surprisingly, almost all American e-mail users included in the
sample were very aware of the "I Love You" virus at the time of the
May 19-25 survey. Ninety-eight percent overall said that they had
previously heard of the virus. Despite their widespread familiarity
with the virus, however, only about one-fifth of e-mail users --
18%-- claim to have received the virus, or one of its derivatives,
in their in-box. While these figures extrapolate to millions of
e-mail users, they also point to the fact that the virus did not
affect the vast majority of e-mail users in this country.
Microsoft Issue
There were reports that the
"ILoveYou" virus was specifically targeted toward users of
Microsoft's Outlook e-mail software. Forty-three percent of the
poll respondents use Microsoft Outlook, and 32% of that group say
they received an e-mail message containing the virus. That compares
to 15% of those who use an e-mail application other than MS Outlook
who reported receiving the virus. (Microsoft has since released a
software patch to help block files possibly infected with
viruses.)
Impact on the Workplace
Some estimates of the
destructive power of the virus indicate that tens of millions of
computers were affected worldwide, adding up to as much as $10
billion in lost work hours. The survey asked e-mail users in the
sample who work for a company or business about the virus' impact
on their workplace. The results show that only a small number of
workers say that the virus had a major impact on their place of
work. A majority of workers said that the virus had either a minor
impact or none at all. Specifically:
- 7% of workers indicated that the virus had a "major negative impact" on their company or business;
- 40% said that the virus caused a "minor negative impact" on their company or business; and
- 53% said it had no impact at all.
Is Your Computer Protected?
The fact that
viruses can be distributed so quickly via e-mail places a premium
on anti-virus software. Most e-mail users (84%) claim to use at
least some form of anti-virus software, although just 47% of them
use an anti-virus program that updates periodically. Because the
"ILoveYou" virus appeared in more than one form during its global
outbreak, major anti-virus software providers scrambled to
adequately protect their customers. One strategy was to arm
customers with information about the virus, although these efforts
appear to have been only partially successful: Among anti-virus
program users, only 40% indicate having received a notice from
their anti-virus vendor about the "ILoveYou" virus.
Americans Say E-Mail Viruses Will Get Worse
The "ILoveYou" virus and its predecessor, the "Melissa" virus,
appear to have left some residual bad feelings in the minds of
American e-mail users. Seventy-four percent of this group believe
that the problem of e-mail viruses will get worse in the years
ahead. Another 22% believe the problem will stay the same, while
just 3% of e-mail users say the problem will get better.
Forty percent of American e-mail users are making at least some behavioral changes in the wake of the latest virus outbreak. Of those making changes, almost everyone (94%) agrees that they will be more careful opening e-mail attachments in the future. In addition, 25% of those making changes say they will alter the settings on their e-mail programs to limit automatically opened messages. Twenty-two percent of those making changes will stop sending certain kinds of messages to friends or associates. On the other hand, almost no e-mail users will be changing software vendors. And, perhaps because more than eight out of 10 e-mail users already have anti-virus software on their computer, only a very small number say they will be installing new anti-virus software or subscribing to an anti-virus service that provides automatic updates as a result of the "I Love You" virus outbreak.
Survey Methods
The results below are based on an
online survey with a randomly selected national sample of 261e-mail
users, 18 years and older, conducted May 19-25, 2000. For results
based on this sample, one can say with 95 percent confidence that
the maximum error attributable to sampling and other random effects
is plus or minus 7 percentage points. In addition to sampling
error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting
surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public
opinion polls.
Had you heard of the "ILoveYou" virus before you received this message?
|
May 19-25, 2000 |
|
|
Yes |
98% |
|
No |
2 |
|
Total |
100% |
Did you personally receive any e-mail messages with the "ILoveYou" virus in it, or with a derivative or offshoot of the "ILoveYou" virus?
|
May 19-25, 2000 |
|
|
Yes |
18% |
|
No |
82 |
|
Total |
100% |
Overall, what has been the impact of the "ILoveYou" virus on the company or business where you work?
BASED ON --195 -- WHO WORK FOR A COMPANY OR BUSINESS; PLUS OR MINUS 8 PCT PTS
|
May 19-25, 2000 |
|
|
Major Negative Impact |
7% |
|
Minor Negative Impact |
40 |
|
No Impact |
53 |
|
No Answer |
-- |
|
Total |
100% |
Do you currently use any anti-virus software, either permanently on your machine, or from a software company that allows you to download the software on your computer?
|
May 19-25, 2000 |
|
|
Yes -- Use Anti-virus software |
84% |
|
No -- Do Not use Anti-virus software |
15 |
|
No Answer |
1 |
|
Total |
100% |
Do you subscribe to any anti-virus program that provides you with periodic updates of its software?
|
May 19-25, 2000 |
|
|
Yes |
47% |
|
No |
53 |
|
No Answer |
-- |
|
Total |
100% |
Did you receive any notice from your anti-virus vendor about the "ILoveYou" virus?
BASED ON --123 -- WHO SUBSCRIBE TO AN ANTI-VIRUS PROGRAM; PLUS OR MINUS 10 PCT PTS
|
May 19-25, 2000 |
|
|
Yes |
40% |
|
No |
59 |
|
No Answer |
1 |
|
Total |
100% |
Has the incident of the "ILoveYou" virus caused you to change your behavior in any way?
|
May 19-25, 2000 |
|
|
Yes |
40% |
|
No |
60 |
|
No Answer |
-- |
|
Total |
100% |
Please click (select) the ways in which your behavior has changed.
BASED ON --103 -- WHO SAY "ILoveYou" VIRUS CAUSED CHANGE IN BEHAVIOR; PLUS OR MINUS 9 PCT PTS
|
May 19-25, 2000 |
|
|
Changed settings on e-mail software to limit automatic opening of e-mail messages |
25% |
|
Stopped sending some types of mailings to your friends and associates |
22% |
|
More careful about opening attachments from e-mails that you receive |
94% |
|
Changed any of your Microsoft software to similar software from another vendor |
2% |
|
You installed anti-virus software on your computer |
5% |
|
You subscribed to an anti-virus software service that provides automatic updates |
4% |
|
Did something else |
11% |
In the future, do you think the problem of e-mail viruses will get:
|
May 19-25, 2000 |
|
|
Much better |
--% |
|
Somewhat better |
3 |
|
Stay about the same |
22 |
|
Somewhat worse |
41 |
|
Much worse |
33 |
|
No answer |
1 |
|
Total |
100% |
