December 28, 2009
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News: A Change In Consumer Attitude
It's been a rough road for Americans during 2008 and 2009 as they felt the breaking forces of a rising unemployment; a broken housing market; deceptive and unfair practices of credit card companies; exploding credit card and identity theft; predatory cybercriminals and computer hackers; and, the worst recession in decades. Something had to change and it became apparent the financial industry wasn't willing to take on the challenge itself. Enraged consumers flocked to their lawmakers with massive complaints and cries for justice. Lawmakers had to take matters into their own hands to implement measures that would put a halt to the predatory actions of credit card and mortgage companies. Furthermore, a recent study released by the Rasmussen Reports indicates that during 2009, Americans have taken up arms to fight back.
Although consumers significantly reduced credit card debt and online shopping activities, according to the report, nearly half of the respondents said they were somewhat comfortable using their cards for online shopping. Overall, 24 percent of the respondents said that they were very comfortable using their credit card for online purchases while only 21 percent indicated that they were totally uncomfortable with the thought of using their card for online transactions. The remaining respondents said they were somewhat uncomfortable using their card for online shopping.
The 2008 Rasmussen Reports showed only 33 percent of the respondents were comfortable using their credit card online for purchases making this year's combined figure of 49 percent a significant increase. Those respondents that were somewhat comfortable shopping online also showed a significant change from 2008 when 60 percent falling in this category. On a positive note, the majority of respondents said they had not become victims of identity theft; however, 16 percent did indicate that they experienced some sort of online intrusion. Nevertheless, individuals who feared becoming a victim of identity theft rose to 84 percent with over half expressing a high level of concern. Rasmussen Reports is an electronic media company specializing in the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information.