Exploring the secrets of search in the digital world

If you have questions or need information these days, you don't turn to your know-it-all neighbor or ring up your old college roommate, even if they won Jeopardy. Whether you're checking your Mega Millions numbers or trying to send aid to war refugees – two of the top internet searches of 2021 – the World Wide Web has become the universal go-to for life's most urgent (and not-so-urgent) questions.

While the internet may be the "where" that people across generations turn to for information, the "how" of those internet searches may just depend on when you were born. We surveyed 1,000 Americans of all ages to find out how each generation tackles the mechanics of an internet search and their satisfaction with the results.

Key takeaways

• Gen Zers and baby boomers care most about privacy, while Gen Xers and millennials care most about speed.
• On average, baby boomers are 10% more satisfied than Gen Zers with their search results.
• 82% of all generations prefer to search on social media rather than a search engine.

Search experience and habits

First, we asked respondents what's most important to them in an internet search experience. What has them returning to certain search engines, and what might send them searching for another?

Google is the most popular search engine

The top search engine choice overall was Google – a brand name so common it holds official status as a verb. Eight in 10 Americans reported that Google was their primary search engine. Although Bing and Yahoo aren't as widely used as Google, a subset of internet users prefer the results produced by these search engines over the results produced by Google. Even more, people said they've used handy features to speed things up: 90% have taken advantage of autocomplete and 87% have used voice search. Both of these options can help you enter your search terms more quickly. Autocomplete predicts your search intention and suggests words to complete your query, while a voice search allows for hands-free searching.

Americans divided on search engine speed vs. privacy

While 80% of survey respondents have used complete sentences instead of keywords to kick off their searches, generational gaps started making themselves known when we drilled down to their search priorities. Those born from the mid-60s through the mid-90s were more concerned with finding answers quickly, while the oldest and youngest generations prioritized privacy.

Most-used search terms

Just as important as how people prefer to search online is which search terms they use. What keywords do respondents type into the search bar first to find the answers they're looking for?

A pronounced divide between the generations emerged when we looked at respondents' search motivations. The term "what is/are" (used in 51% of searches) ranked as the top search phrase overall. This finding expresses how quick and easy it is to find answers to even the most basic questions with the world at our fingertips.

Each generation's second choice of initial keywords entered were different when searching. For baby boomers, it was "favorite" (26%), while Gen Xers' was "best" (33%). Millennials wanted to know "how to" (33%), while Gen Zers were more interested in "when" (23%). This dichotomy might indicate that older users tend to search for subjective information on which goods and services they should choose, while younger ones might be more interested in objective information.

Younger generations are less satisfied with their search results

Baby boomers, in particular, tended to be slightly more satisfied with their search results than Gen Zers – by 10%. "Slightly" is the keyword, though, as 40% of all internet searchers reported being unhappy with their search results. They might be onto something; in a recent Reddit thread, thousands of Google users shared that the search engine's results have become less helpful lately.

These disgruntled searchers may benefit from brushing up on the many options Google offers for refining searches, like time restraints, advanced searches and operators. A tilde (~), two periods (..) or a minus symbol (-) can make a big difference.

Social media as a search engine

Social media platforms can provide an alternative to traditional search engines' text-heavy, ad-based results. They're increasingly seen as not only a way to keep in touch but also as a way to leverage those connections to find answers. We looked at how common this is and which platforms people search for the most.

Instagram is the top social media platform for searches

Considering how engaging social media is compared to standard search engines, it's no wonder most respondents said they prefer them for seeking information online (82%). And considering users already spend a lot of time on social media, they may be able to find what they're looking for more quickly with an app they use frequently.

The growing trend of people passing up search engines in favor of social media sites doesn't seem to be age-specific. Instagram was the top preferred platform for social media searches (55% of respondents), followed by YouTube (54%), Facebook (51%) and Twitter (44%). TikTok landed in last place for popularity (42%). Viewed by the marketing industry to be the bastion of Gen Z, TikTok may solely be popular among the youngest subset of searchers.

Getting the "best" results on a topic

Choosing the right keyword or phrase is the best way to find the right answer. But when faced with the empty search box and blinking cursor, words that come to users' minds may be influenced by their experiences, subject knowledge, and, yes – even their age. We honed in on specific search intentions to see what terms people used most often, then broke it down even further by generation.

How each generation would start their search query for research on investing in cryptocurrency

Cryptocurrency is a hot topic that people are keen to learn about, so we analyzed search trends on the subject to see how they're trying to do just that. Unsurprisingly, the top terms used to begin these searches were "crypto," "investing," and "how to." Our results also revealed that some searchers equate a cryptocurrency brand with the topic overall: 9% of crypto-related searches included the word "Bitcoin."

You may find this interesting: Profiling Crypto Gamers

Although we observed many similar search terms used across generations to find information about crypto, some fell along generational lines. Gen Zers were more likely to use "investing" as their first search word, while the other generations began theirs with "crypto." For Gen Z, this was the second most common choice.

Younger Americans search for "good" restaurants

Searching for something to eat when you're not quite sure what you're hungry for is likely to lead to a string of online searches. For our respondents, the most common initial terms used were "restaurants," "good," and "fast food." Their answers were pretty straightforward, considering we asked what they'd search for if looking for a quick bite.

This topic also showed a definitive age divide regarding search terms. Starting the search with the word "restaurant" was the first choice for Gen X diners (19%) and baby boomers (14%), while the word "good" was the top first-used search term among millennials (17%) and Gen Zers (16%). These findings suggest younger Americans may be more interested in searching for highly rated results.

How each generation would start their search query for research on purchasing a new car

While car brands were the first initial search term choice across generations and "safest" was the second, the third most common term varied slightly by the searchers' age. "Highly rated" took third place among baby boomers and millennials, while for Gen X, it was "best," and Gen Z's was "top." Since these terms are so similar in meaning, car marketers may benefit from using plenty of these through their web pages to win the attention of the masses.

A sea of information

The spread of internet access has opened the door to a wealth of information for users across the globe. More recently, the COVID-19 pandemic expanded internet use to include nearly all aspects of daily life for many Americans. As such, it's understandable that being able to find quality information quickly is of the utmost importance to users.

Similarly, it's become increasingly critical for marketers to understand users' search habits. They might benefit from incorporating keyword phrases like "what is/are" and "how to" on their landing pages to get the attention of people who might be interested in their goods or services. It's also important to stay up to date on changing trends. Google knows this, as they make thousands of changes to their algorithm each year to improve the search results shown to users.

Social media marketers should also note these findings, with more people turning to social media for their internet searches. We might even start to see competition between search engine sites and social media platforms – especially as the technology gap between generations continues to narrow.

Methodology

We surveyed 1,000 Americans regarding their search engine habits. The mean age of respondents was 36 years old. Among them, 57% were male and 43% were female. Respondents comprised the following generational breakdown: 26% Gen Z, 26% millennials, 26% Gen X and 22% baby boomers.

About Frontier

Frontier provides affordable high-speed and fiber internet to customers across the country. A fast and reliable internet connection reduces download and upload speeds, allowing users to spend less time waiting and more time doing what they want.

Fair use statement

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