Surveys! Is there nothing they can’t measure? Apparently yes: the number of Americans who shop online while they’re at work. According to Spherion, 30% of workers use their computers at work to shop online during the holidays. Accountemps says the number is 21%, the Memphis Business Journal says 38%, and Shop.org says it’s 54.5%.

We wonder if the discrepancies have anything to do with the nature of the organizations—Accountemps is a temporary accounting staffing firm, and Shop.org is an “association for retailers online.” The Memphis Business Journal’s poll was online and, we’re guessing, not very scientific. Spherion is also a staffing company, but their study was performed by Harris Interactive and seems to at least have some methodology behind it, so we’ll choose to believe it’s 30%. If there’s one thing we’ve learned about statistics, it’s “you must choose to believe.”

Here are some more factoids from the Spherion survey:

• Workers aged 25 to 29 are more likely than other age groups to use their computer at work to shop for or buy gifts online during the holidays.
• Females are more likely than men to spend 30 minutes or more on each online shopping occasion.
• Workers earning $25,000 to $34,900 are more likely than other income groups to spend 30 minutes or more on each online shopping occasion.
• Nearly half of workers disagree with the statement: “I feel it is acceptable to use my computer at work to shop for or buy holiday gifts.”
        — 46 % of workers disagree with the statement.
        — 32% agree with that statement.
        — 22% neither agree nor disagree.

“Spherion Survey Finds Online Holiday Shopping at Work Increasingly Prevalent Among Workers” [Earthtimes.org]
“Surveys mixed about online shopping at work” [Memphis Business Journal]
“Business Pulse Results: Most do little online shopping from work” [Memphis Business Journal]
(Photo: Getty)

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