ICANN Corporation published the findings of its Global Consumer Research Study. The survey took place in February this year, the researchers used criteria and metrics proposed by the Internet community during preliminary discussions. 6144 people 18 years old or more participated in the study, they represented Asia, Africa, Europe, North and South America. Study participants live in 24 countries of the world and speak 18 languages. The study was conducted on behalf of ICANN by Nielsen and it is the first phase of the global project: the second study will take place is about a year.
The study showed a growing awareness of users concerning new gTLDs. Domains with the highest number of registrations were used for the survey - EMAIL, .PHOTOGRAPHY, .LINK, .GURU, .REALTOR, .CLUB, .XYZ, and also relevant internationalized domains. 46% of users knew at least one of the mentioned new domains. 65% of them visited new gTLDs at least once. Domains .EMAIL and .LINK turned out to be the most recognizable for users, which could mean that association with functionality plays and important role in the market success of new domains.
Awareness and popularity of domains delegated before 2012 is obviously higher. 79% of survey participants recalled at least one of “the old” domains, 71% visited at least one of these domains.
Survey participants also demonstrated a high level of trust towards generic domains and organizations behind them. In general, 72% trust them. The most trusted domains are .COM, .NET and .ORG. The level of trust towards the new domains is way lower, however, they demonstrate a rising trend: 49% of poll participants said they trusted the new domains.
Also respondents are aware of dangers that Internet users face online. 74% of respondents know about the threats that malware, phishing and stealing personal data pose. But only 37% of respondents are aware of cybersquatting.
Talking about domain name registration, the participants that have such experience in general responded positively when asked about the process. 53% called it “very easy” or “somewhat easy”. They wished for the registration to be cheaper (55% of those who have registered domains before asked for that).
