Computer Users Suffer 'PC Rage'
MORE than two thirds of Personal Computer users say they shout, swear or are violent towards their PC when it crashes, freezes or when other problems occur, according to new research by MORI.
The survey, carried out for BT Home Computing, shows four in five users (83%) have experienced difficulties when using their computer within the past 12 months, and seven in 10 (70%) of these admit to shouting, swearing or being violent towards their computer when these problems arise. A quarter (25%) of current home PC users feel able to sort their computer out themselves when it goes wrong.
Technical details
MORI interviewed a nationally representative quota sample of 2,025 British adults aged 15 and over, of whom 952 use a personal computer. Interviews were conducted in-home, between 17 and 21 October 2002, with data weighted to reflect the known population profile.
Topline Results
- MORI interviewed a quota sample of 952 adults who use a PC / laptop aged 15+ in GB. Interviews were carried out face-to-face. All interviews were conducted 17 and 21 October 2002.
- Where figures do not sum to 100 per cent, this may be due to computer rounding, multiple codes or the exclusion of "Don't know".
- An asterisk denotes a figure of greater than zero but less than 0.5%
- Base is all PC users (952) unless otherwise stated.
Q1 Which of these have you experienced when using your PC in the past twelve months? And which others?
| % | |
|---|---|
| Computer crashing / freezing | 60 |
| Difficulties when printing documents / emails | 37 |
| Failure of the computer to start properly | 28 |
| A computer virus | 25 |
| Difficulties installing new software / new programs | 28 |
| Unhelpful / lengthy instruction manuals | 19 |
| Unhelpful technical support / telephone support services | 14 |
| Sending the computer away to be mended / fixed | 10 |
| Receiving unsolicited (Spam) emails | 42 |
| Problems upgrading memory | 7 |
| An illegal function / shutdown display message | 40 |
| Losing documents / data | 21 |
| Teaching other people to use a PC | 30 |
| Spending an hour or more on one task which I failed to complete properly | 21 |
Base: Those who use a PC at home: 848
| % | |
|---|---|
| Having to call an engineer out to mend / fix computer | 12 |
Base: Those who use a PC at work: 423
| % | |
|---|---|
| Calling the IT Helpdesk at work to mend / fix a problem | 37 |
| Other (please specify) | * |
| None of these | 14 |
| Don't know | 1 |
Q2 Which of these are the most stressful things about using a PC?
| % | |
|---|---|
| Computer crashing / freezing | 50 |
| Difficulties when printing documents / emails | 14 |
| Failure of the computer to start properly | 12 |
| A computer virus | 23 |
| Difficulties installing new software / new programs | 12 |
| Unhelpful / lengthy instruction manuals | 14 |
| Unhelpful technical support / telephone support services | 12 |
| Sending the computer away to be mended / fixed | 4 |
| Receiving unsolicited (Spam) emails | 19 |
| Problems upgrading memory | 4 |
| An illegal function / shutdown display message | 14 |
| Losing documents / data | 26 |
| Teaching other people to use a PC | 5 |
| Spending an hour or more on one task which I failed to complete properly | 13 |
Base: Those who use a PC at home: 848
| % | |
|---|---|
| Having to call an engineer out to mend / fix computer | 4 |
Base: Those who use a PC at work: 423
| % | |
|---|---|
| Calling the IT Helpdesk at work to mend / fix a problem | 14 |
| Other | 2 |
| None of these | 12 |
| Don't know | 4 |
Q3 Which of these statements, if any, do you agree with? And which others?
Base: Home computer users: 848
| % | |
|---|---|
| If my home computer went wrong, I would be able to sort it out myself | 25 |
| I took sufficient advice before getting the home computer that I did | 22 |
| I am very pleased with the computer that I have | 50 |
| I was not pressurised by the salesman to buy a more expensive computer than I wanted | 29 |
Q4 Which of these have you done in response to a problem you have experienced with your PC? And which others?
| % | |
|---|---|
| Shouted at the computer | 43 |
| Sworn at the computer | 43 |
| Pulled the wires out of the wall | 4 |
| Talked to / pleaded with the computer | 25 |
| Hit the keyboard or mouse | 16 |
| Hit the table/computer desk | 12 |
| Hit the computer / computer monitor | 9 |
| Pulled the plug out of the wall | 12 |
| Broken the computer | 3 |
| Broken something other than the computer | 5 |
| Shouted at a friend or family member | 21 |
Base: Those who use a PC at work: 423
| % | |
|---|---|
| Shouted at a work colleague in the IT Support team / Helpdesk | 11 |
| Blamed IT problems for missing deadlines at work | 15 |
| Shouted at a non IT work colleague | 7 |
| Other (please specify) | * |
| None of these | 28 |
| Don't know | 3 |
