More than half of U.S. adults fear that the metaverse will lead them to neglect reality, and therefore prefer activitations that include real-world components, such as augmented reality and virtual reality, according to new findings from The Harris Poll.

Interest in technologies that bridge the digital and physical realm far outweighs that in more abstract, digital-only formats, such as NFTs and cryptocurrency, the poll found.

In January and February, The Harris Poll conducted two surveys on consumers’ perception toward the metaverse. One survey fielded data from 1,060 U.S. adults ages 18 and older, and the other from 1,007 U.S. adults ages 18 to 54. Respondents answered questions pertaining to their awareness of specific metaverse technologies, their concerns about the space and how they felt about brands offering metaverse experiences. The surveys also asked respondents if they foresaw one company owning the entire metaverse.

More than half—52%—of respondents ages 18 to 54 who are aware of the metaverse fear that the space and its technologies will lead to the neglect of their physical surroundings. This cohort particularly fears that they could lose pre-existing relationships and the ability to form new ones. 

Salesforce hit on this notion in its Super Bowl and Winter Olympics commercial, in which Matthew McConaughey urged viewers to focus on cultivating the earth over new frontiers like the metaverse. Backlash over the negative environmental impact of NFTs and cryptocurrency has also contributed to mass skepticism of Web3.

Some 80% of consumers ages 18 to 54 who are familiar with the metaverse are interested in AR/VR tech—a sizable advantage over interest in NFTs (57%) and cryptocurrency (51%). But this preference is still mostly in relation to its potential as a real-world tool; over half of these respondents cited interest in using AR/VR for physical shopping, as compared to shopping for virtual wearables that can be worn in metaverse platforms. Despite this hesitancy, brands are increasingly buying up land in these worlds to house and activate such assets.

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In addition, consumers are most attracted to AR/VR as a form of entertainment rather than an extension for school or work. This finding comes as Meta, formerly Facebook, continues to build out its Horizon platform around both applications, with products like Venues, which will host virtual music and sporting events, and Workrooms, for virtual meetings and coworking. In a recent roundtable with advertisers, Meta offered a glimpse of its metaverse, and attendees said it was reminiscent of Snapchat, which has been utilizing AR/VR products for a while.

The poll also found a lack of parity in knowledge of the nebulous terminology that brands are using. Only 10% of survey respondents have heard of Web3—a new iteration of the internet based on blockchain. People were significantly more aware of concepts like NFTs (61%), the metaverse (65%), and cryptocurrency (86%).

Education appears to still be a major objective before brands can usher in mass adoption of the metaverse. Just because brands are jumping in does not mean they are winning over consumers just yet. Most respondents ages 18 to 54 who are aware of the metaverse said they would not have a better opinion of a brand because it offered Web3 experiences.

On the other hand, brands may be happy to hear that only 30% of this cohort are concerned over issues of targeted advertising via metaverse technologies. The potential to collect first-party data in this space could be significant, especially if privacy compliance plays out the way proponents say it will. In Web3, users are supposed to own their data, and therefore brands can only acquire it directly and through their clear consent.

This ideal, however, could be threatened if major tech companies wield control over virtual platforms as they do social platforms on the current internet. The majority of respondents over 18 already see this being a likelihood—they envision one company owning the metaverse, with Google, Amazon, Meta and Apple as the most probable contenders.

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