Comprehensive Study of the Media Usage and Purchasing Habits of Working Women

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(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-adv/mediacenter/html/release_working_women3_2004.html)

The title is descriptive, hence, there is no need for an overview.

Working Women Are Increasingly Relying on the Internet to Find Balance in Their Lives, According to New Study
washingtonpost.com, Newsweek.com and Nielsen//NetRatings Complete Comprehensive Study of the Media Usage and Purchasing Habits of Working Women

Arlington, VA - March 30, 2004 - Even as many decrease their use of television and other media, working women are relying heavily on the Internet to manage their busy lives. This finding comes from a new study announced today by washingtonpost.com, Newsweek.com and Nielsen//NetRatings. The research looks at the media usage and purchasing habits of women who use the Web at work.

The new study, which interviewed 825 women and 226 men, used a randomly recruited panel of active Web users from across the Internet. It found that far more working women say they are pressed for time than working men. Importantly for marketers, these women are heavy consumers of media and many of them are increasing their Internet usage and decreasing their usage of other media.

Among the key findings are:

• Sixty percent of working women who use the Web feel they do not have enough time for their personal lives. (Fewer than half of online working men say this).

• About half have recently increased their use of the Internet- far ahead of any other media. One-quarter have decreased their time with other major media.

• The Internet and radio are least likely to be removed from their routine when looking to save time.

•For these women, the Web has become a key component of all purchase decisions - nearly 90 percent say they're able to do more product research online than offline.

For full results, direct quotes from survey respondents and methodology, visit: www.washingtonpost.com/workingwomen.

Caroline Little, CEO and publisher of Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive, said, "It is clear that working women feel pressed for time and are turning to the Internet to find balance in their lives. It's not a big surprise that working women say they're extremely busy, but it's fascinating to see how much they've come to rely on the Internet. While many working women are decreasing their TV and magazine consumption, even more are actually increasing their Internet usage."

"This study shows that the Internet plays a unique role in the lives of working women," said Marc Ryan, Senior Director of Analysis for Nielsen//NetRatings. "Unlike other media, the Web is actually viewed as a time-saving device. The busier working women get, the more they rely on the Internet for reading the news, researching products, making travel plans and more. Because the Internet has become so important in the lives of working women, it is clearly now an essential means for reaching them."

Below are summaries of some of the key findings.

Busy Lives, But Lots of Media

Women who access the Web at work are extremely busy, with 60 percent saying they don't have enough time for their personal needs compared to 48 percent of men. Working women with children feel even more pressed, with 69 percent saying they don't have enough time.

Despite feeling pressed for time, nearly 80 percent of online working women spend over an hour watching television on an average weekday, and more than 60 percent spend over an hour on the Internet. Even more (77 percent) of those who approve business purchase decisions spend over an hour online on an average weekday.

The Web Won't Go

When looking to make time during the day for their personal needs, most working women would not stop using the Web. Seventy percent say they are unlikely to remove the Internet or Radio or from their daily routine, while over half say they would remove television, newspapers or magazines.

Their dedication to the Web may be linked to the value it brings to their lives. Working women say nearly every major category of transaction and research is made simpler online. For example, 87 percent agree that product research is made easier online, while 66 percent say they are better able to keep current on news events using the Web.

Reach Them Online

Over 60 percent of online working women recommended using the Internet in an advertising campaign aimed at reaching them - 20 percent higher than television or direct mail.

Online working women use the Web extensively to research purchases they conduct offline. For example, over 80 percent of those who purchased travel products or services offline in the past month researched their purchases online beforehand.

Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive is the online publishing subsidiary of The Washington Post Company (NYSE:WPO). Its mission is to develop the company's editorial products and businesses on the Internet and across all electronic content delivery platforms. WPNI's flagship products include washingtonpost.com and Newsweek.com. The company is headquartered in Arlington, VA.

Nielsen//NetRatings is the global standard for Internet audience measurement and analysis and is the industry's premier source for online advertising intelligence with its NetView, AdRelevance, @Plan, WebRF, LemonAd, MegaPanel and SiteCensus services. Covering 70 percent of the world's Internet usage, the Nielsen//NetRatings services offer syndicated Internet and digital media research reports and custom-tailored data to help companies gain valuable insight into their business. For more information, please visit www.nielsen-netratings.com.