Jim, happened upon CBS MarketWatch's answer to your question. The link points to more detail about the survey.
Karen
Not much ado on
millennium
Half of public isn't worried about New Year's, poll
shows
By David Callaway, CBS MarketWatch
Last Update: 2:01 PM ET Oct 13, 1999
NewsWatch
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) -- What year 2000
problem?
Despite years of hand-wringing and
scare-mongering about the potential
problems the turnover into the new
millennium will cause in the world's
computer systems, almost half of the
American public believes there will
be no problems at all on the arrival of
Jan. 1, 2000, according to a new
CBS.MarketWatch.com poll.
About 82 percent of those surveyed
think there will be only minor -- if any
-- problems with computers. And a solid 60 percent
aren't doing anything in advance to their personal
computers to prepare for Y2K, according to the poll by
CBS MarketWatch (MKTW: news, msgs). See poll
results.
The results show that the public has become
increasingly convinced that government and corporate
attempts to prevent a technological Armageddon have
succeeded and that there's nothing to worry about.
Some computer users, however, think
the public's mood could change a bit as
New Year's Eve approaches.
"You know what? I'm still going to
wait and not buy my new computer
until January," said Rob Schumacher,
chief strategist for the Van Kampen
Funds, which manages about $70
billion in assets.
The telephone poll of 1,652 adults,
conducted Sept. 29 to Oct. 3, also
provides a look at Main Street
attitudes toward Internet holiday
shopping, online investing, the
economy and next year's presidential
election.
Among its findings, the survey showed
Americans are increasingly relaxed
about potential problems with Y2K
and that few are taking any sort of
precautions. Only 14 percent of those
polled think there will be major problems, down from
34 percent in a December 1998 poll by
CNN/Gallup/USA Today.
Forty-eight percent see absolutely no problems at all
resulting from the change, up from 36 percent in July.
Sixty-four percent of adults are doing nothing to prepare
for the millennium while those that are preparing aren't
going beyond stocking up on food and water, or taking
extra cash out of the bank, according to the poll.
Among computer users, 74 percent think their computers
will be unaffected by the changeover, up from 61
percent in January. Only 7 percent think there will be
serious effects.
Schumacher said he expects public concern to pick up,
however, because more and more companies are
canceling end of year holidays for their employees. That
could lead to a reassessment of the situation by
employees as they realize they will be at work or on
call when the millennium turns, he said.
cbs.marketwatch.com |
