Poll: Most adults don’t want fantasy avatars
By Eric Reuters
Given the chance to roleplay a furry, robot, or the opposite gender in a virtual world, most adults would choose something that resembles their real world persona, a new poll has found.
Zogby International asked 3,585 adults wide-ranging questions about their attitudes towards technology at the behest of the U.S. Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee. One question centered on virtual worlds. Pollsters asked:
Some people are now participating in virtual worlds such as Second Life. Let’s say you’re creating a virtual you in a virtual world. Would you dramatically alter the avatar’s physical appearance from your own?
| Answer | Respondents | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| I would dramatically alter my physical appearance | 527 | 14.7% |
| Keep me similar but enhance my more masculine or more feminine appearances | 650 | 18.1% |
| Keep me just about the same as I am | 1586 | 44.2% |
| Not sure | 822 | 22.9% |
| — | — | — |
| Total | 3585 | 100.0% |
The poll was taken between Jan. 21 and Jan. 23 and contains a statistical margin of error of +/- 1.7 percent.
