Computers & the Internet

Nearly One in Five U.S. Adults Are Concerned that the World Will End on December 21, 2012 According to Backblaze Survey

San Mateo, CA (PRWEB) December 13, 2012

Backblaze, leading provider of continuous online backup, today released the findings of a survey conducted online on their behalf by Harris Interactive among over 3,000 U.S. adults. The study examines people’s general concerns going into the New Year and regrets in the event of the Apocalypse on December 21, 2012. The survey was commissioned in light of the ever-increasing dialogue around the Mayan calendar ending and the apocalyptic consequences that people think this may bring about. Backblaze, naturally, advocates that if the world does not end on this date, it is vital to have a backup plan going forward.

While, nearly one in five (16%) U.S. adults report they are at least somewhat concerned that the world will in fact end on December 21, 2012; their primary concerns are a bit more mundane. Nearly three out of four (73%) people showed at least some level of concern for losing files on their computer (e.g. documents, photos, music) and nearly one half (47%) reported they are extremely/fairly concerned about digital file loss. Losing family photos also showed a strong response, with 70% reporting that this was of at least some concern.

“While this survey was commissioned as a bit tongue-in-cheek, at Backblaze we hear from people every day who feel as though their world is collapsing when they have lost precious files, photos and documents. We founded Backblaze because we recognized the importance of helping people have a ‘backup plan’ to ensure that every piece of data, no matter the size, is continuously, safely and securely backed up.

We had a surge of customers recently that we were able to help rebuild their digital life following loss and damage to their computers from Hurricane Sandy. This study demonstrates just how devastating losing files on one’s computer can be,” said Gleb Budman, CEO and co-founder of Backblaze.

When asked if the apocalypse were truly coming on this date, what regrets would people have, if any, 70% reported that they would have some regret. Not traveling more was cited most often by U.S. adults with nearly one-third (32%) reporting to have this regret, which was followed closely by those who regretted not spending more time with their families (30%). Nearly one in four people (23%) reported that they would regret not following their dreams and spending too much time worrying about money (22%). And one in four men (25%) would regret not having had more sex if the Mayan prediction proves true. Interestingly, only 10% of women surveyed would have the same regret.

Other interesting facts to note from the survey include:

    Over half (51%) of employed U.S. adults are at least somewhat concerned on some level about losing their job in 2013.
    40% expressed at least some concern that they were entering the New Year having not followed through with their 2012 New Year’s resolutions.
    Nearly one in five (14%) U.S. adults would regret working too much if the world came to an end on December 21, 2012 and 11% would regret spending so much time worrying too much about their weight.

In the event that the world is going to be around for a while, Backblaze would like people to know that its service is the easiest way to backup all their data online. It requires no user set up; backs up unlimited data, and can also help locate a lost or stolen computer all for just five dollars per month. Backblaze’s service delivers peace of mind with the assurance that users can access their files, any time, from any computer with an Internet connection. To learn more about Backblaze and this study visit blog.backblaze.com.

Survey Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Backblaze from December 7-11, 2012 among 3,036 adults’ ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact press(at)backblaze(dot)com.

About Backblaze

Founded by a team of serial entrepreneurs with security, scalability and usability backgrounds, located in the heart of Silicon Valley, Backblaze’s mission is to ensure that all computer data is backed up. Winner of Best Online Backup 2012 and the AlwaysOn Global Top 250 private companies for game-changing technology and market value, Backblaze provides a free trial and automatically backs up all data on a PC or Mac for just $ 5/month, $ 50/year, or $ 95/ two years. Visit http://www.backblaze.com for more information or to backup your own computer. Backblaze is a registered trademark of Backblaze, Inc.

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