GMX

• Average Briton checks free email accounts 2-3 times a day
• 1 in 3 currently failing to keep up to date with emails

1 December 2008, London: Over 40 per cent of the British public admit to feelings of guilt at failing to keep on top of emails from friends and family, according to research released today by GMX, www.gmx.co.uk, the free email service for more than 11 million active users. From those surveyed, an alarming 1 in 3 admitted that they are currently overwhelmed with emails from personal contacts. The survey of 1800 UK consumers1 also found that Britons are heavily reliant on their free email services, with the average Briton using 2 separate personal accounts, and checking them on average 2-3 times a day.

Whilst email-related stress is normally seen as a workplace problem, the GMX ‘Personal Email Matters’ study found that an alarming number of Britons are suffering from negative emotions caused by a failure to cope with their personal emails.

Eva Heil, Managing Director, GMX, said, “Our research shows that the pressure to keep on top of personal email is a major cause for concern for a great many Britons, who place a high importance on keeping in touch with friends and family. It is therefore all the more important for providers to make email management as easy and effective as possible”. She criticises that many common web clients do not offer similar mod cons to those of office email programmes, which could if providers would invest more into the usability of their products.

The survey also suggests that especially women are more prone to guilt and embarrassment with 45 per cent of women affected as apposed to only 36 per cent of men. More than 1 in 5 women (21 per cent) admitted to suffering negative emotions as a result several times a month or more, compared to 17 per cent of men.

The study reveals that using private email is causing a substantial amount of stress for participants. The extent of the problem also appears to vary with age, with 57 per cent of 16-24 year olds and 52 per cent of 25-34 year olds affected, as compared with only 38 per cent of 35-44 year olds. The 55+ age group sees only 35 per cent reporting stress.

Some 1 in 3 people (33 per cent) surveyed expressed concern that they are currently failing to keep up to date with their personal emails. In 2008, it appears that Britons are fearful of the consequences of falling behind with emails. Alarmingly, 1 in 5 (19 per cent) of the 16-24 age group reported regularly feeling extreme emotions such as “anxiety” and “paranoia” at the prospect of replying late to personal email contacts. 1 in 5 of this age group (19.2 per cent) admitted to recently losing a friend as a result of failing to keep up to date with their emails.

The research lends weight to the argument that email related angst is just as prevalent at home as in the workplace. Of the 50 per cent surveyed who use email as part of their employment, more than 1 in 3 (39 per cent) wished that they could keep as up to date with personal email as they do with work email.

The extent to which Britons rely on personal email in the UK appears to vary across geographical region. Whilst the average person oversees 2 personal email accounts, the citizens of Northern Ireland commonly utilise more, with greater than 1 in 4 people (27 per cent) regularly using 3 or more accounts. This is in stark contrast to the north of England where, for example, 56 per cent of the residents of Newcastle keep only 1 email account. There was a slight variation with gender, with 84 per cent of women checking their email at least once a day, compared to 77 per cent of men.

Furthermore, the British public does not appear entirely satisfied with the free email services that they are using. 56 per cent of consumers find aspects of their free email service challenging. The biggest technical bugbear for users of free email services appears to be SPAM email, which causes regular stress for more than 1 in 3 (36 per cent) of us.

By considering a few rules one can easily reduce stress and ensure that personal email remains a pleasure. Below, GMX offers its “Hot 5 Tips” for angst-free email:

1. Keep your primary email address exclusive
   Only people you trust should know your email address. If you are in doubt, you should use an alternative email address.
2. Choose a service that can handle all your email accounts in one place.
   Some webmail services allow you to collect all your existing accounts or offer multiple email addresses within one account.
3. Sort emails within folders
   Keep your inbox clean. Set up folders for contacts or important topics. Good services offer filters to sort emails automatically.
4. Touch an email once
   When reading an email either reply immediately or archive it into the right folder. If you wish to reply later, set it to unread status to remind yourself to look at it.
5. Face the issues
   If your personal email is causing you stress, then it is time to act! Tell your friends if you don’t want to receive tons of ‘funny’ email. Don’t use your main email address for competitions or signing up to online services. Consider changing your service if you think yours does not offer what you need – it’s likely to be worth the effort.

Heil added, “How we manage our personal emails is as important to consider as any work email issue. It pays all around to review whether your current email platform is working as effectively as you need it to”.

With over 11 million active users, GMX draws on over a decade of free email expertise and is well placed to offer a reliable, secure service. Besides great looks, great performance and state-of-the-art functionality, GMX.co.uk offers the widest selection of first-choice addresses such as tazeen@gmx.co.uk.

Free email has grown up, find it at GMX. The new free email service can be seen at www.gmx.co.uk

¹ 1849 UK adults surveyed by Tickbox.net in 2008 via electronic feedback form