Virtual interactions 'as good as being there' for nearly a quarter | News

GLOBAL — 23% of online consumers worldwide say virtual interactions can be as good as being there in person, according to a new study from GfK.

Over 27,000 online consumers aged 15+ in 22 countries worldwide were asked to rate their agreement with the statement: "virtual interactions with people and places can be as good as being there in person".

Those aged 20-29 and 30-39 were most likely to agree that virtual interactions, such as video calls, instant messaging, and virtual exploration (e.g. Google Street View) could be as good as real life, with 28% and 27% agreement respectively.

Teenagers were the next most likely to agree ( 22%) and agreement declined rapidly in older generations: 20% of 50-59 year olds felt virtual interactions could be as good as the real thing, while only 11% of those aged 60+ agreed.

Country-wise, Brazil and Turkey had high levels of agreement, with 34% of online consumers in each agreeing with the statement. Just 14% of UK online consumers felt the same. Germany had the lowest level of agreement at 13%.

The full report can be accessed here.