How Much Are Search Engines Used in the Generative AI Era? A Survey on Search Engine Utilization
Nyle Inc. published a survey on search engine usage amid the spread of generative AI. While over 60% of people still use search engines, nearly half of those in their 20s no longer use them. People continue to use search engines because they are 'used to them,' to 'check official sites,' and due to 'anxiety over AI accuracy,' showing search has evolved into a place for fact-checking.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 21, 2026 at 18:00
- 🔍 Collected: May 21, 2026 at 09:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 21, 2026 at 10:31 (1h 0m after Collected)
Nyle Inc. (Headquarters: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Hisho Takahashi; hereinafter 'Nyle'), a company operating a digital transformation (DX) and marketing business, conducted a survey of 2,000 men and women nationwide to find out how much and in what situations they use search engines, even as generative AI becomes widespread.
Summary of this Survey
Even with the spread of generative AI, over 60% of all respondents still use search engines when researching information. On the other hand, about half of the respondents in their 20s answered that they 'do not use' search engines at all.
The most common reason for using a search engine is 'because I am used to it'. In addition, the desire to check official websites directly, compare multiple sites, and anxiety about AI answers are also behind the continued use of search engines.
When researching companies, products, or services on a search engine, 'official company websites' are the most frequently viewed. Review sites, comparison articles, and e-commerce product pages are also checked by a certain number of users.
Even when an 'AI Overview' is displayed on the search results screen, more than 80% of users sometimes prioritize looking at normal search results. The most common reason for this is 'anxiety about whether the AI summary is accurate'.
Regarding whether all research will be completed entirely by AI in the future, the most common answer was 'I can't say either way'. While there are high expectations for AI, it is believed that the role of search engines will remain.
Survey Overview
Survey Period: May 1-2, 2026
Survey Method: Internet survey (using Freeasy)
Survey Target: 2,000 men and women in their 20s to 60s nationwide
Do you ever use a search engine instead of generative AI (ChatGPT, Gemini, etc.) to research things?
In response to the question of whether they use search engines to research things, about 60% of all respondents answered 'often' or 'sometimes'. While search engines remain a central means of gathering information, we cannot overlook the fact that nearly 40% answered 'not at all'. Furthermore, looking at the results by age group, 48% of those in their 20s answered 'not at all', indicating that asking generative AI without using a search engine has become a natural behavior for about half of them. Moreover, the percentage of those in their 30s and older who answered 'not at all' reached nearly 30-40%, which is by no means a minority. Regardless of age, we can read from these results that a certain volume of users complete their research using means other than search engines.
What is the reason you use a search engine instead of generative AI to research things?
The most common reason for using a search engine was 'because I am more used to search engines' (53.0%). Although the use of generative AI is spreading, it seems that many people continue their accustomed search behaviors when researching. This was followed by 'because I want to check information on the official website directly' (32.0%), 'because I want to compare multiple sites before making a judgment' (29.8%), and 'because I am anxious about the reliability of AI answers' (29.4%), all hovering around 30%. From this, it can be considered that users do not judge based solely on AI answers, but try to determine the certainty of the information by consulting primary sources and multiple perspectives. While generative AI is becoming a convenient tool for research, search engines continue to be used in situations requiring reliability checks and comparison.
What do you actually look at most often when researching a company, product, or service on a search engine?
The most common thing people look at when researching a company, product, or service on a search engine was 'the company's official website' (53.3%). This aligns with the fact that 'wanting to directly check information on the official website' was a top reason for using a search engine in the previous question, suggesting that users expect search engines to serve as a means of reaching primary information. On the other hand, 'review sites' (36.4%), 'comparison/summary articles' (30.5%), 'e-commerce product pages' (30.3%), and 'news articles' (29.6%) all lined up at around 30%. This reveals a flow where users grasp the basic information on the official site and then refer to third-party evaluations and comparison data. This shows that in the consideration stage for products and services, search engines are used to supplement areas where official information alone is insufficient for making a judgment. Generative AI excels at summarizing and organizing information, but answering the need to 'compare from multiple perspectives' may currently be a unique strength of search engines.
Do you ever prioritize normal search results (site links) without looking at the 'AI Overview' displayed on the Google search results screen?
When asked if they ever prioritize looking at normal search results without looking at the 'AI Overviews' displayed on the search results screen, over 80% of respondents answered that they do, combining 'often' (31.9%) and 'sometimes' (52.1%). However, since 'sometimes' is the most common answer, it can be assumed that they don't always ignore the 'AI Overview', but rather use both selectively depending on the situation.
Why do you specifically prioritize search results over the 'AI Overview'?
The most common reason for prioritizing search results over the 'AI Overview' was 'anxiety about whether the AI summary is accurate' (47.5%), accounting for nearly half of the responses. Just as 'anxiety about the reliability of AI answers' was raised as a reason for using search engines earlier, a strong concern about the accuracy of AI information is evident here as well. This was followed by 'because I want to compare multiple sites before making a judgment' (32.3%) and 'because I want to directly access official sites and primary information' (29.5%). These are consistent with the previous results, reaffirming that the fundamental behavior of prioritizing search results stems from the need to verify the information source with one's own eyes rather than concluding with just the 'AI Overview'. Meanwhile, 24.1% answered 'because I feel the AI summary lacks information', showing that some users feel unsatisfied with the 'AI Overview' in terms of information volume.
Do you think that in the future, all research will be able to be completed entirely with AI?
The most common answer was 'I can't say either way' (41.4%), but there was no significant difference between 'yes' (30.3%) and 'no' (28.3%), resulting in a split between those who feel the potential of AI information gathering and those who are cautious about replacing everything with AI. As seen in the questions up to this point, there is a deep-rooted anxiety regarding the accuracy of AI summaries and a persistent need to verify sources personally. Such real feelings seem to be one of the factors causing hesitation in judging future prospects. It can be read that many users are currently in a transitional mindset—they cannot be certain of a future where research is completed solely by AI, but they cannot completely deny it either.
Search engines continue to be used as a 'place to confirm reliability'.
Summary of this Survey
Even with the spread of generative AI, over 60% of all respondents still use search engines when researching information. On the other hand, about half of the respondents in their 20s answered that they 'do not use' search engines at all.
The most common reason for using a search engine is 'because I am used to it'. In addition, the desire to check official websites directly, compare multiple sites, and anxiety about AI answers are also behind the continued use of search engines.
When researching companies, products, or services on a search engine, 'official company websites' are the most frequently viewed. Review sites, comparison articles, and e-commerce product pages are also checked by a certain number of users.
Even when an 'AI Overview' is displayed on the search results screen, more than 80% of users sometimes prioritize looking at normal search results. The most common reason for this is 'anxiety about whether the AI summary is accurate'.
Regarding whether all research will be completed entirely by AI in the future, the most common answer was 'I can't say either way'. While there are high expectations for AI, it is believed that the role of search engines will remain.
Survey Overview
Survey Period: May 1-2, 2026
Survey Method: Internet survey (using Freeasy)
Survey Target: 2,000 men and women in their 20s to 60s nationwide
Do you ever use a search engine instead of generative AI (ChatGPT, Gemini, etc.) to research things?
In response to the question of whether they use search engines to research things, about 60% of all respondents answered 'often' or 'sometimes'. While search engines remain a central means of gathering information, we cannot overlook the fact that nearly 40% answered 'not at all'. Furthermore, looking at the results by age group, 48% of those in their 20s answered 'not at all', indicating that asking generative AI without using a search engine has become a natural behavior for about half of them. Moreover, the percentage of those in their 30s and older who answered 'not at all' reached nearly 30-40%, which is by no means a minority. Regardless of age, we can read from these results that a certain volume of users complete their research using means other than search engines.
What is the reason you use a search engine instead of generative AI to research things?
The most common reason for using a search engine was 'because I am more used to search engines' (53.0%). Although the use of generative AI is spreading, it seems that many people continue their accustomed search behaviors when researching. This was followed by 'because I want to check information on the official website directly' (32.0%), 'because I want to compare multiple sites before making a judgment' (29.8%), and 'because I am anxious about the reliability of AI answers' (29.4%), all hovering around 30%. From this, it can be considered that users do not judge based solely on AI answers, but try to determine the certainty of the information by consulting primary sources and multiple perspectives. While generative AI is becoming a convenient tool for research, search engines continue to be used in situations requiring reliability checks and comparison.
What do you actually look at most often when researching a company, product, or service on a search engine?
The most common thing people look at when researching a company, product, or service on a search engine was 'the company's official website' (53.3%). This aligns with the fact that 'wanting to directly check information on the official website' was a top reason for using a search engine in the previous question, suggesting that users expect search engines to serve as a means of reaching primary information. On the other hand, 'review sites' (36.4%), 'comparison/summary articles' (30.5%), 'e-commerce product pages' (30.3%), and 'news articles' (29.6%) all lined up at around 30%. This reveals a flow where users grasp the basic information on the official site and then refer to third-party evaluations and comparison data. This shows that in the consideration stage for products and services, search engines are used to supplement areas where official information alone is insufficient for making a judgment. Generative AI excels at summarizing and organizing information, but answering the need to 'compare from multiple perspectives' may currently be a unique strength of search engines.
Do you ever prioritize normal search results (site links) without looking at the 'AI Overview' displayed on the Google search results screen?
When asked if they ever prioritize looking at normal search results without looking at the 'AI Overviews' displayed on the search results screen, over 80% of respondents answered that they do, combining 'often' (31.9%) and 'sometimes' (52.1%). However, since 'sometimes' is the most common answer, it can be assumed that they don't always ignore the 'AI Overview', but rather use both selectively depending on the situation.
Why do you specifically prioritize search results over the 'AI Overview'?
The most common reason for prioritizing search results over the 'AI Overview' was 'anxiety about whether the AI summary is accurate' (47.5%), accounting for nearly half of the responses. Just as 'anxiety about the reliability of AI answers' was raised as a reason for using search engines earlier, a strong concern about the accuracy of AI information is evident here as well. This was followed by 'because I want to compare multiple sites before making a judgment' (32.3%) and 'because I want to directly access official sites and primary information' (29.5%). These are consistent with the previous results, reaffirming that the fundamental behavior of prioritizing search results stems from the need to verify the information source with one's own eyes rather than concluding with just the 'AI Overview'. Meanwhile, 24.1% answered 'because I feel the AI summary lacks information', showing that some users feel unsatisfied with the 'AI Overview' in terms of information volume.
Do you think that in the future, all research will be able to be completed entirely with AI?
The most common answer was 'I can't say either way' (41.4%), but there was no significant difference between 'yes' (30.3%) and 'no' (28.3%), resulting in a split between those who feel the potential of AI information gathering and those who are cautious about replacing everything with AI. As seen in the questions up to this point, there is a deep-rooted anxiety regarding the accuracy of AI summaries and a persistent need to verify sources personally. Such real feelings seem to be one of the factors causing hesitation in judging future prospects. It can be read that many users are currently in a transitional mindset—they cannot be certain of a future where research is completed solely by AI, but they cannot completely deny it either.
Search engines continue to be used as a 'place to confirm reliability'.
FAQ
According to Nyle's survey, what is the main reason people use search engines?
The primary reason is 'being used to it' (53.0%), followed by 'checking official sites directly' and 'anxiety regarding AI reliability'.
What do consumers look at when researching a company?
The most viewed source is 'official company websites' (53.3%). Users verify primary information first before looking at reviews or comparison articles.
Why do people avoid Google's AI Overviews?
The most common reason, cited by 47.5% of respondents, is anxiety over whether the AI's summary is accurate or not.