Most people won't pay for free content

Stating the obvious

Social engineering headcounter Nielsen has come up with the startling conclusion that people who are getting free stuff now might be a bit iffy about paying for it in the future.

The company surveyed 27,000 people who were willing to respond to the question "have you got time to complete a survey" with a positive response - which in our book is enough to disqualify them from providing any kind of meaningful data.

Nevertheless, 85 per cent of respondents said that they would not be willing to cough up cash for online content that they were already getting for free.

They also said that they would continue to pay for stuff that they had paid for in the past.

Shockingly, the slack-jawed form-fillers also revealed that they would be willing to pay more for professionally produced stuff that costs a lot of money to make, rather than stuff cobbled together for nothing in someone's back bedroom.

They also said they wouldn't pay for something if they could find it elsewhere for nothing.

The Nielsen report is wrapped up in all sorts of indecipherable marketing cobblers but that's the general gist of it.

Why do they bother?