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Science and the Internet: The Pew Report
By Trevor | November 24, 2006
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.
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