Imation - 2005 Digital Lifestyle Survey Key Findings

This spring, Imation surveyed more than 2,000 U.S. adults on their digital habits; the findings indicate that Americans are increasingly embracing digital technologies when it comes to how they capture, store and share their photos.

Americans are Taking More Pictures Than Ever… but Have Yet to Fully Master Their Digital Application Skills
According to the survey, more than seven in 10 Americans (72 percent) are taking photos of family and friends to preserve precious memories and three in 10 (30 percent) are making home movies. When it comes to comfort levels, 71 percent of Americans say they find organizing, storing or sharing their photos and videos with family and friends to be easy tasks.

Americans also are beginning to embrace more complex digital activities. The survey found that 62 percent of respondents say creating digital photo albums, movies, slide shows or scrapbooks is easy. Those who think it is easy to find a picture or a video segment taken on a specific day in the past is 56 percent. And 47 percent of Americans state they find editing photos and videos an easy activity to accomplish.

Hooked on Digital… Americans are Embracing Digital Convenience
Eighty nine percent of Americans say they find sharing personal photos and videos easy to do. And the majority of respondents (61 percent) agree that storing their pictures and movies digitally has changed the way they share them with family and friends, whether via e-mail (50 percent), on CD (22 percent), on DVD (16 percent) or posted to a personal Web site (15 percent).

While the digital format has not completely replaced paper, digital is becoming a way of life in personal photography as more than half of those surveyed (54 percent) say they have gone digital: 47 percent of Americans keep both digital and hard copies of their personal pictures and seven percent of respondents keep only digital copies of their personal pictures on CDs, DVDs or other digital storage devices.

Going digital has its advantages according to survey respondents. Those who have already converted to digital photography are more likely to work with their personal photos and digital materials than those who still use analog cameras:

Digital users are far more likely to share their photo memories, compared to those who use analog cameras (94 percent and 59 percent, respectively).
Analog users are also more likely, (28 percent compared to 20 percent of digital users) to wish they could go back and retake a photo.
In addition, more than half of Americans (51 percent) agree that printing digital pictures from their home computer, as opposed to having them printed at their local photo store, saves time and money.

Women Capture More Memories… but Men are More Likely to Preserve Them
Women are more likely than men (77 percent and 67 percent, respectively) to take photos of family and friends, but men are more likely to create digital photo albums on CDs or DVDs (26 percent versus 22 percent) and to edit, record or burn home movies on DVDs (14 percent compared to 11 percent). Women are more likely to stick with what they currently know and keep only hard copies of their photos (45 percent of women compared to 37 percent of men). And interestingly, when looking at the final result, women are more likely than men to wish they could go back and retake their picture (58 percent versus 51 percent).

Taking Pictures is a Family Affair… for Families of Every Size
According to the survey, families with children are more likely than couples or singles to take photos of family and friends (82 percent compared to 67 percent, respectively) or make home videos (47 percent versus 19 percent). Families with kids also are more likely to preserve their memories digitally by creating digital photo albums (32 percent compared to 19 percent) or editing digital photos (41 percent versus 26 percent). Not surprisingly, families with children are more likely than couples or singles to share their memories digitally, whether via e-mail (58 percent and 45 percent), on DVD (20 percent and 13 percent) or posted to a personal Web site (18 percent and 12 percent, respectively).

Growing Up Digital… the Next Generation Gap
It comes as no surprise that the generations that have come of age with digital technology are the most comfortable using it. The Generation X cohort, ages 25-34, is about four times more likely to edit digital photos (46 percent versus 12 percent), create digital photo albums (35 percent versus 9 percent) and edit and record home movies to DVD (18 percent to 4 percent) than their grandparents, ages 65 and over. Gen X is also far more likely than any age group to post their digital memories to a personal Web site (22 percent) than their older siblings, ages 35-44 (12 percent), parents, ages 45-64 (12 to 14 percent) or grandparents (4 percent).