Search Term Stats Show Sad State of the Economy

You don't have to search hard to find signs of the economic downturn. Just look at the newspaper, or your favorite website. But a new report on Americans' search behavior by market research firm comScore emphasizes the FUD of Americans during this recession.

Check it out. Searches for:

• Coupons, up 161%
• Unemployment, up 206%
• Bankruptcy, up 156%
• Unemployment Benefits, up 247%

comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni said:

"Online behavior has come to reflect the interests or concerns of Americans, and we are certainly seeing this manifest itself with respect to the economic downturn. Search volume using terms relating to the economy has ballooned over the past year as Americans have become increasingly concerned over their economic well-being."

comScore also examined the demographic profile of those who clicked on a link following a search using the term "unemployment." According to their results, those who clicked on a link skewed towards households with a head younger than 35 years of age and households earning less than $50,000 a year. For some reason, they were also more less likely to use Google!