Too Busy for that Software Update? Survey Says: Join the Club

There may be no time like the present for getting important jobs done, but when it comes to software updates, that's not exactly the rule most people live by.

“No time like the future” may be a more apt description, in fact, according to a recent survey conducted for Skype, Symantec, and TomTom as part of the International Technology Upgrade Week (ITUW) initiative launched by the three companies on Monday.

A full 40 percent of adults don't always update software on their computers when initially prompted to do so, the survey found. More than half said they typically need to see an update prompt between two and five times before downloading and installing the new software.

Unclear Benefits

The survey was administered online to American, British, and German consumers who are part of the YouGov Plc GB panel.

Roughly a quarter of those surveyed in each country said they don't clearly understand what software updates do, Skype reported. An equal percentage don't understand the benefits of updating regularly, they said.

Even among the ones who do recognize the benefits of upgrading, a quarter don't know how to check if their installed software even needs updating, the survey found.

International Technology Upgrade Week aims primarily to address consumers' concerns and educate them as to why it's important to keep software updated.

'Upgrades Take Too Long'

Studying the data on a more granular level, men are more likely to update their software than women are, regardless of geographical region, Skype said.

And those who don't? Their top-cited reasons were “Worried about computer security, so I don't download everything I'm prompted to”; “There is no real benefit to me”; “Upgrades take too long”; and a lack of understanding about what the update(s) will do, according to the report.

The infographic above summarizes some of the report's key highlights.