@evan I admit to having no source for that number. 😀 I use Perplexity and it’s almost entirely replaced all search engines for me. Mostly because of the reasons you say; I can ask some pretty vague stuff or ask for an intro to a topic, stuff like that.
The research model is useful to me. I am planning a move across country and I have asked it to create “new resident” booklets on various towns we’re considering moving to. The reasoning model is good at planning stops and gas costs on the trip.