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End-User Update: 2009 Overview

Image of Roger Strouse

Authors: Roger Strouse, Vice President & Lead Analyst; Kate Worlock, Director & Lead Analyst

This report is tailored for publishers and information providers, and presents findings from Outsell’s latest wave of research on information users, conducted in December 2008, which garnered 5,660 responses from the corporate, education, government, and healthcare sectors in the US and UK. This is the latest in Outsell’s regular surveys of knowledge workers, investigating what they spend for various types of information, what information they use in their jobs or studies, where they go to get that information, how they like to receive it, and other attributes that are important to publishers and information providers. Outsell has surveyed tens of thousands of knowledge workers since 1998, and this report draws on that history of deep research. In upcoming reports, we will delve into our latest data to provide reports on various user segments. This report contains:

- Overall trends in user needs, preferences, and habits;
- Outsell data on most-used information types by sector and preferred format (electronic or print);
- Trends in preferred methods for obtaining information since 2001;
- Data on time spent on information tasks, and primary obstacles to finding information, from 2005 to 2008;
- Data on handheld device use;
- Analysis of users as buyers, and users and libraries;
- Essential actions for publishers and information providers who want to keep up with knowledge workers’ changing information profiles.


We provide a link to download a PDF at the end of the purchase process.

Pub Date: May 14, 2009
Type: Market Report, CEO Topic
Segments: B2B ITTRRS MRRS NEWS STM SAS ALL CF E & T HR LTR T & C
Keywords: Users, Market Statistics
Pages: 26
Format: PDF Application_pdf

Table of Contents

  • Why This Topic?
    1. Methodology
  • Overview
  • Trends in User Needs, Preferences, and Habits
  • Device-Based Content and Applications
  • Users and Social Networks
  • Users as Buyers
  • Users and Libraries
  • Essential Actions
  • Related Research

    • Tables & Figures

  • Figure 1. Percentage of Time a Search is Not Successful, 2005 and 2008
  • Table 1. Most Used Information Types, By Sector, 2008
  • Figure 2. Preferred Format for Top Content Types, 2008
  • Figure 3. Preferred Methods for Obtaining Information, 2001, 2005 and 2008
  • Figure 4. Time Spent on Information Tasks, 2005 and 2008
  • Figure 5. Obstacles to Getting Information, 2005 and 2008
  • Figure 6. Top Unmet Information Needs, 2004, 2005, and 2008
  • Figure 7. Handheld Device Usage Among Knowledge Workers, 2008
  • Figure 8. Purpose for Handheld Device Usage, 2008
  • Figure 9. Work- and School-Related Content Used on Handheld Wireless Devices, 2008
  • Figure 10. Use of Social Networking Services, 2008
  • Figure 11. Where Information Purchasing Decisions Are Made, 2008
  • Figure 12. Independent Information Spending, 2005 and 2008
  • Figure 13. Prevalence of Independent Spending by Respondent Level, 2005 and 2008
  • Figure 14. Average Spending on Information for the Past 12 Months, 2005 and 2008
  • Figure 15. Disposition of Information Purchased by Individuals, 2005 and 2008
  • Figure 16. Individual Information Spending by Format, 2005 and 2008
  • Figure 17. Information Spending Intentions, 2005 and 2008
  • Figure 18. Knowledge Workers’ Priorities for Library Roles, 2008