The survey, conducted by Harris Interactive for search engine Dogpile, said about 23 percent of adult Internet users in the United States have searched online for their clients or customers, workers or potential employees, and supervisors or prospective managers.
Reasons for the searches vary. While curiosity was the most common reason for searches on co-workers, some people looked up clients and customers to get prosaic information such as an address or phone number.
Nearly 52 percent of those surveyed who looked up employees and potential workers said curiosity was the primary reason behind their search. Around 63 percent cited similar reasons for searching for supervisors or potential managers. The study found that men are more likely to do such searches than women.
Internet searches have become more and more detailed, making it easier to find information, but also prompting privacy concerns among some industry watchers.
Harris Interactive polled 2,266 people for the survey between Sept. 28 and Sept. 30.
