CMG Computer Management Group has celebrated its 25 years in the business by commissioning a survey from MORI, Market & Opinion Research International, into IT in the 1990s: the poll, originally carried out by MORI for the Department of Trade & Industry in 1982, was designed to illustrate the role of information technology in business and society, and respondents included 2,047 members of the general public, 500 senior managers, and 32 national or trade journalists; in 1982, less than 33% of the working public had a terminal at their place of work, that figure has risen to 51%, and 27% of the UK public has a computer in the home, compared with 22% in the US; of that 27%, a startling 28% claim to use it every day, although 96% use the things for games like space invaders or chess; 27% of the general public is suspicious of information technology, as are 14% of senior managers, but 89% of the working public and 93% of senior managers believe that technology will be helpful in education; only 49% of senior managers say that information technology will create more leisure time, compared with 74% of the working public and 72% of the general public; 50% of the general public say that technology will increase unemployment, and 28% of senior managers agree, but on a more optimistic note, 92% of managers believe that technology will create new busines-ses and services, as do 86% of the working public, and 81% of the general public; a rather surprising 58% of senior managers are satisfied with their company’s preparation for Europe in terms of technology, but 45% say it is an area where the UK lags; as regards journalists, familiarity with CMG is shamefully low, and comments range from the disingenuous ignorance of the Guardian’s Computer Editor, to a guarded respect for the company’s sturdy policy of employee ownership.
