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Science and the Internet: The Pew Report

Nov 24, 2006 news links

The Pew Internet and American Life Project has released a new report on how the Internet is used by Americans as a resource for news and information about science. The report’s key findings:

  • 40 million Americans rely on the internet as their primary source for news and information about science.
  • For home broadband users, the internet and television are equally popular as sources for science news and information – and the internet leads the way for young broadband users.
  • The internet is the source to which people would turn first if they need information on a specific scientific topic.
  • The internet is a research tool for 87% of online users. That translates to 128 million adults.
  • Consumers of online science information are fact-checkers of scientific claims. Sometimes they use the internet for this, other times they use offline sources.
  • Convenience plays a large role in drawing people to the internet for science information.
  • Happenstance also plays a role in users’ experience with online science resources. Two-thirds of internet users say they have come upon news and information about science when they went online for another reason.
  • Those who seek out science news or information on the internet are more likely than others to believe that scientific pursuits have a positive impact on society.
  • Internet users who have sought science information online are more likely to report that they have higher levels of understanding of science.
  • Between 40% and 50% of internet users say they get information about a specific topic using the internet or through email.
  • Search engines are far and away the most popular source for beginning science research among users who say they would turn first to the internet to get more information about a specific topic.
  • Half of all internet users have been to a website which specializes in scientific content.
  • Fully 59% of Americans have been to a science museum in the past year.
  • Science websites and science museums may serve effectively as portals to one another.
The Pew Internet and American Life Project “produces reports that explore the impact of the Internet on families, communities, work and home, daily life, education, health care, and civic and political life. The Project aims to be an authoritative source on the evolution of the Internet through collection of data and analysis of real-world developments as they affect the virtual world.” (source: A Blog Around the Clock) Link

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