Center for the Digital Future Identifies the 10 Major Trends Emerging in the Internets First Decade of Public Use
"Ten Years, Ten Trends" Highlight the Major Findings in Year Four of the Digital Future Project's Study of the Impact of the Internet on Americans
LOS ANGELES, CA, September 23, 2004 Ten years after electronic portals to the Worldwide Web were first opened to millions of computer users, ten significant trends have emerged that vividly illustrate how the Internet affects America, according to findings from the comprehensive year-to-year study of the impact of online technology by the USC Annenberg School Center for the Digital Future.
After a decade of observing the evolution of the Internet, and four years of our formal studies of online technology, we are seeing clear trends in how the Internet has changed the United States, said Jeffrey I. Cole, director of the Center for the Digital Future.
Our annual projects explore more than 100 major issues concerning online behavior, said Cole. Of these findings, ten broad trends have emerged that have particular relevance as we reach the 10-year anniversary of the opening of the Internet to the public: Ten Years, Ten Trends.
Year Four of the Digital Future Project (formerly the UCLA Internet Report) provides a broad year-to-year exploration of the influence of the Internet on Americans. The project examines the behavior and views of a national sample of 2,000 Internet users and non-users, as well as comparisons between new users (less than one year of experience) and very experienced users (in Year Four, seven or more years of experience).
Among the findings from Year Four of the Digital Future Project:
Internet access has risen to its highest level ever. About three-quarters of Americans now go online.
The number of hours spent online continues to increase, rising to an average of 12.5 hours per week the highest level in the study thus far.
Although the Internet has become the most important source of current information for users, the initially high level of credibility of information on the Internet began to drop in the third year of the study, and declined even further in Year Four.
The number of users who believe that only about half of the information on the Internet is accurate and reliable is growing and has now passed 40 percent of users for the first time.
The study showed that most users trust information on the websites they visit regularly, and on pages created by established media and the government.
Information pages posted by individuals have the lowest credibility: only 9.5 percent of users say information on those sites is reliable and accurate.
Television viewing continues to decline among Internet users, raising the question: What will happen as a nation that once spent an extremely large portion of time in a passive activity (watching television) transfers increasingly large portions of that time to an interactive activity (the Internet)?
The Digital Future Project compares findings from all four years of the study, looking at five major areas: who is online and who is not, media use and trust, consumer behavior, communication patterns, and social and psychological effects.
(For the complete report on Year Four of the Digital Future Project, visit www.digitalcenter.org):
Ten Years, Ten Trends
Year Four of the Digital Future Report focuses on the trends that have developed in the 10 years since two milestones in online technology occurred:
* 2004 marks the 10th anniversary of the Internet becoming generally available to the public. In 1994, the major online providers which until then had maintained their own proprietary electronic services opened their portals to the outside world for millions of their users, who suddenly had unlimited access to previously unimaginable amounts of information and services, Cole said.
* The second milestone was the convening in 1994 of the Information Superhighway Summit. Co-hosted by the center and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the Information Superhighway Summit was the first major gathering of leadership from government, technology, media, and entertainment organizations to explore the Internet and its future.
That conference marked the beginning of a national appreciation of the Internets tremendous potential, said Cole. As a result, five years ago we created the Digital Future Project, and its first comprehensive study of the impact of the Internet on America was published in 2000.
At the time of the Information Superhighway Summit in January 1994, about two million computers used primarily by academics, scientists, and corporate researchers were connected to the Internet. That number would increase to 70 million by the time the Digital Future Project was created in 2000. Now, the Internet is used by about three-quarters of Americans, and online technology is a constant presence in two-thirds of American homes.
The ten trends identified by the Center for the Digital Future are:
1. In America, The Digital Divide Is Closing, But Is Not Yet Closed As New Divides Emerge
Does the digital divide still exist? The Digital Future Project found that about 75 percent of Americans can access the Internet from some location home, work, school, libraries, and other locations. The fastest-growing Internet user populations are groups that were once considered the primary victims of the digital divide: Latinos, African Americans, and older Americans.
Clearly, the digital divide in America is nearly closed, if one describes that gap by its simplest definition: those who have the Internet compared to those who have not, Cole said. But some lingering digital divide issues remain: there is still a divide based on Internet access at home.
And, a new divide is coming that will bring with it a new set of ramifications: the divide between those who have broadband and those who use traditional telephone modem access. How will Internet non-users be affected as new forms of the digital divide continue to emerge? Cole said.
2. The Media Habits Of The Nation Have Changed, And Continue To Change
For the past 50 years, Americans time at home has been dominated by television. Increasingly over the last 10 years, Internet users have bought their time to go online from the time they previously spent watching television. And, the more experience users have with the Internet, the less television they watch.
The social impact of such dramatic change could be extraordinarily deep, Cole said. What will happen as a nation that once spent an extremely large portion of time in a passive activity (television) transfers increasingly large portions of that time to an interactive activity (the Internet)? This continuing shift will have a broad range of ramifications, probably affecting every aspect of American culture, the economy, politics, and social behavior.
3. The Credibility Of The Internet Is Dropping
The credibility of information on the Internet was high among users through the first three years of the Digital Future Project, and that credibility remains generally high in Year Four. However, the project found that the high level of credibility for online information began to decline in the third year of this study, and dropped even further in Year Four.
Year Four of the Digital Future Report shows that most users trust information on the Web sites they visit regularly, and on pages created by established media and the government. The information that users dont trust is on Web sites posted by individuals. Should Americans view online information as being more credible, or less credible, than information from other sources? Do Internet users fully appreciate how to determine the credibility of online information?
4. We Have Just Begun to See the Changes to Come in Buying Online
Several issues that affect online purchasing have changed dramatically in the last four years. There is no question that concerns about credit card security while buying online remain extremely high. However, the intensity of that concern is declining.
Three years ago, two-thirds of Internet users were very concerned or extremely concerned about privacy of information while buying online; in the current Digital Future Project, that number has declined to less than half (46 percent). And, while concerns remain high, Internet users are buying more frequently. In 2001, they bought online about 11 times each year; now they buy about 30 times per year. And, as Internet use increases, buying online increases dramatically.
In other words, many Internet users previously said, I'm concerned and not buying, said Cole. Now, in increasing numbers, they are saying, I'm concerned, but less concerned, and I am buying.
As barriers to online buying lessen, concerns about the security of credit card information ease, and the credibility of Internet retailers grows, how will the evolving impact of buying online shape the future of traditional brick-and-mortar retailing?
5. The Geek-Nerd Perception Of The Internet Is Dead
Since the beginning of the Digital Future Project, its studies found that going online did not put the social lives of users at risk. The Internet has little or no impact on time spent with family or friends, or on sleeping, exercising, or most other personal activities (other than watching television). In fact, the Digital Future Project continues to show that Internet users are often more socially active than non-users, and are less alienated from others. And because of e-mail and instant messaging, the Internet has become a useful tool to build relationships; Internet users communicate with others more, not less.
With the Internet in two-thirds of all American households and three-quarters of citizens defined as Internet users, it seems laughable in 2004 to think that there was a time only a few years ago when the stereotype of the Internet user was the geek-nerd who was thoroughly separate and alienated from mainstream society, Cole said. Even more relevant, there were many social critics of the Internet who believed that going online would cause vast and irreparable harm to relationships with family and friends, and would also degrade other personal activities, such as sleep, exercise, and offline interests.
6. Privacy And Security: Concerns Remain, But The High Levels Are Changing
In all four studies by the Digital Future Project, Internet users and non-users alike have expressed very high levels of concern about privacy and security. They fear not only for their personal security, but are also concerned about companies or individuals tracking what they do online.
Beyond the issue of consumer behavior on the Internet, said Cole, much broader issues of concern about personal privacy and security while online transcend purchasing issues, and have an increasing role in every aspect of online use: Is my e-mail being monitored? Is my identity being stolen? Can information on my home computer be stolen if I am linked to the Internet with a broadband connection? Can I search for information confident that my activities and behavior are not being monitored? Or put most simply: Is my personal privacy safe as I explore the online world?
7. The Internet Has Become The Number One Source For Information For Internet Users
The Internet has become the most important source of current information for users the primary place they go for research, general information, hobbies, entertainment listings, travel, health, and investments. The always-on function of broadband has accelerated this importance.
When one can turn to the computer in the kitchen to instantly access movie schedules from a bookmarked location, what does that say about the functionality or even the need for the entertainment sections of the local traditional media? Cole said.
As Internet experience increases, perceptions of the importance of the Internet as an information source also increase. Eventually, almost every American will be an experienced user. How will that change the perception of the Internet as an information source? And how will that ascendancy affect other sources of information?
8. The Benefits and Drawbacks Of The Internet For Children Are Still Coming Into Focus.
There is no question that the Internet opens a whole new world to children. But its a world that is also strewn with pitfalls.
Perhaps the greatest conflicts about the Internet emerge in our exploration of how adults perceive the role of the Internet in their childrens lives, Cole said.
The issues involving children and the Internet are extensive: Does the Internet help my children with their schoolwork? (Children say yes.) But, does the Internet improve grades? (Adults say no.) Do my children spend too much time online? Should I actively monitor online access by my children? Should I use filtering software? Are my children potential victims of online predators? How do I know my childrens friends when they contact so many of them mainly by e-mail? And, how can I keep track of what my children do online when they know more about computers and the Internet than I do?
Clearly, parents have to pay attention and be active in their childrens lives, but paying attention to the Internet takes more time and attention than monitoring other in-home activities, such as TV viewing, Cole said. The many Internet dilemmas for parents will continue, and many new ones will no doubt emerge.
9. E-mail: E-Nuff Already?
E-mail is still the single most important reason people go online. E-mail is a tremendous convenience, and for most users, it is a free service with enormous benefits. E-mail opens opportunities to communicate more often and with a much broader circle of people than we ever reach by telephone or by mail.
E-mail is certainly a great convenience, but it is also a great irritation, Cole said. What user today doesnt voice some concern about e-mail spam, inbox overload, time commitments required to respond in addition to its benefits? No Internet user wants to get rid of their e-mail, but they are tired of e-mail defining their lives.
One of the more interesting findings in the Digital Future Project is that we may be seeing the first hints that the most experienced users are not going to answer e-mail as often as they used to: new users think e-mail needs to be answered faster than do the experienced users.
While e-mail is used regularly by practically everyone, a common etiquette for its use has not yet emerged. Thus far, no commonly accepted conventions about dealing with e-mail: how quickly should users respond? What types of correspondence should be handled electronically? Do users need to respond to every e-mail?
10. Broadband Will Change Everything Again
Just as the arrival of the Internet created a flood of social change, the proliferation of broadband technology as a method of accessing the Internet is beginning to cause its own revolution. Broadband is changing entirely our relationship with the Internet at home how often we go online, how long we stay online, and what we do online. Simply, modem use is disruptive; broadband use is integrative.
Already we are seeing that broadband users spend more time online than users who connect to the Internet by modem, and that the tasks people undertake online vary based on their method of access.
The advantage of broadband was first perceived as simply providing faster online speed than modem access, Cole said. Now, we are seeing that more important than speed is that broadband is always on; there is no need to log in and out of the Internet as with modem access. This means that an Internet access session, which had previously been an activity that required a commitment of time merely to get online, is now becoming an activity that can be done briefly dozens of times a day even if only for a few seconds.
The always on feature of broadband will have significant effects on Internet use, creating change for users that is almost as great as the difference between Internet access and not having access at all, Cole said.
The USC Annenberg School
Center for the Digital Future: Background
The USC Annenberg School Center for the Digital Future created and organizes the World Internet Project, which includes the UCLA Internet Report and similar studies in Europe, the Middle East, South America, and Asia.
The Center for the Digital Future was formerly the Center for Communication Policy at UCLA. The center, its staff, and its research projects moved to USC in July.
The Digital Future Project supported by public foundations and private companies, including Accenture, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, the National Cancer Institute, SBC, Sony, Time Warner Companies, and Verizon.
To download the full text of the Digital Future Project , visit www.digitalcenter.org.
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USC Annenberg School
Center for the Digital Future
Highlights: Digital Future Project, Year Four
In 2000, the first report of the Digital Future Project created a base profile of behavior and attitudes about Internet use and non-use in five major subjects: who is online and who is not, media use and trust, consumer behavior, communication patterns, and social effects.
The second, third and fourth years of this study have continued the year-to-year appraisal of more than 100 major issues through a national sample of 2,000 Internet users and non-users. The findings focus on Internet users vs. non-users, as well as new users (less than one year of experience) compared to very experienced users (in Year Four, seven or more years of experience).
The project compares findings from all four years of the study, looking at five major areas: who is online and who is not, media use and trust, consumer behavior, communication patterns, and social and psychological effects.
To download the full text of the Digital Future Project , visit www.digitalcenter.org.
Here are highlights and page references for the five major areas in Year Four of the Digital Future Project:
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Who Is Online? Who Is Not? What Are Users Doing Online?
Overall Internet Access -- Overall, Internet access rose to its highest level in the four years of the Digital Future Project. About three-quarters of Americans go online. (Page 27)
Online Hours -- The number of hours online continues to increase rising to an average of 12.5 hours per week the highest level in the study thus far. (Page 27)
The Top Ten Most Popular Internet Activities -- The top ten most popular Internet activities are: e-mail and instant messaging, general Web surfing or browsing, reading news, hobby searches, entertainment searches, shopping and buying online, medical information searches, travel information searches, tracking credit cards, and playing games. (Page 29)
New Internet Users Vs. Very Experienced Users: What Do They Do Online? -- In Year Four, very experienced Internet users (seven or more years online) spent by far the largest percentage of their time online dealing with e-mail, followed by general Web browsing, work at home for their jobs, reading news, hobbies, instant messaging, and school-related work levels that have remained relatively constant during all four years of the survey. (Page 30)
New users (less than one year online) also spent the largest percentage of their time online with e-mail and Web browsing, followed by instant messaging, playing games, school-related work, downloading music, paying bills, and reading news. (Page 30)
Internet Users: Across All Age Ranges -- Each of the four studies by the Digital Future Project shows that online access spans every age range in some age ranges, approaching 100 percent. At least three-quarters of respondents age 55 and under are Internet users. (Page 31)
How Long Are You Online Each Week? -- The average number of hours online per week has grown steadily since the Digital Future Project began in 2000. Users in Year Four of the study report an average of 12.5 hours online per week, up from 9.4 when the study began in 2000. (Page 32)
New Users Online -- Even the newest Internet users devote substantial time to going online. Currently, new users go online 7.2 hours per week, up from 6.1 hours in 2000. (Page 32)
Using The Internet At Home -- The use of the Internet at home continues to increase. In 1995, the National Science Foundation reported that only about one-fifth of users had access to the Internet at home. In Year Four, home access has increased to nearly two-thirds of American households. (Page 33)
How Do You Connect To The Internet At Home? -- While most households still connect to an online service with a telephone modem, the number who connect via modem continues to decline, while access by broadband (either cable modem or DSL) has increased 300 percent since 2000. (Page 36)
Broadband Vs. Modem: The Gap Continues In Hourly Use At Home -- Broadband users at home (either cable modem or DSL) spend more time online than users who connect to the Internet by modem. (Page 36)
Non-Users: Why Not Online? -- The 24.1 percent of Americans who do not use the Internet express a range of reasons for not being online. In Year Four of the Digital Future Project, the single most-cited reason by far is the lack of a computer; more than 40 percent of non-users say they do not have a computer or their current computer is not good enough for Internet use. (Page 40)
Electronic Dropouts: Why Do Users Stop Going Online? -- Internet non-users who were once users the electronic dropouts continue to report many reasons for no longer going online. In Year Four, a much higher percentage of electronic dropouts than in previous years report their reason for not being online is no computer available. (Page 41)
Notably, in neither of the two most current studies did any electronic dropouts cite concerns about privacy or security as a reason for no longer using the Internet. (Page 41)
What Do You Miss By Not Using The Internet? -- Sixty percent of electronic dropouts non-users who once used the Internet say they miss nothing by not having access to the Internet. (Page 42)
Will Electronic Dropouts Ever Go Back Online? -- Even though a majority of electronic dropouts say they miss nothing about the Internet, almost three-quarters of them say they will eventually go back online. (Page 42)
Non-Users: Will You Log On Soon? -- The number of non-users who say they are somewhat likely or very likely to go online within the next year has declined to its lowest level in the four years of the Digital Future Project. (Page 43)
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Media Use And Trust
Television: Viewing Continues To Decline Among Internet Users -- The biggest gap in use of various media among Internet users and non-users continues to be the amount of time they watch television. In Year Four of the study, Internet users watch about 4.6 hours of television less per week than non-users compared to 4.8 hours the previous year. (Page 46)
Television Viewing: New Users vs. Very Experienced Users -- More than twice as many of the very experienced users compared to new users say that they spend less time watching television since using the Internet. (Page 47)
The Internet: An Important Source Of Information? -- In the 10 years since online technology became generally available to the public as a communication tool, the Internet has become one of the most important sources of information for the vast majority of users. However, the importance of the Internet as a source of information is declining along with the importance of all other forms of media as well. (Page 49)
Among very experienced users in Year Four, the Internet outranks all other media as a very important or extremely important source of information. (Page 50)
Information On The Internet: Is It Reliable And Accurate? -- The number of users who believe that information on the Internet is reliable and accurate has declined slightly in Year Four of the Digital Future Project. (Page 51)
The number of users who believe that only about half of the information on the Internet is reliable and accurate is growing, and has now passed 40 percent of users for the first time in the four years of the Digital Future Project. (Page 51)
Online Information: Which Web Sites Are Reliable And Which Are Not? -- Web sites mounted by established media ranked highest in perceived accuracy and reliability; 74.4 of users say most or all information on established media Web sites is reliable and accurate. (Page 52)
Government Web sites fared well with users in the current study; 73.5 percent say that most or all of the information on government Web sites is reliable and accurate. (Page 52)
Information pages posted by individuals have the lowest credibility; only 9.5 percent of users say the information on Web sites posted by individuals is reliable and accurate. (Page 52)
Although large percentages of users say that most or all of the information on Web sites posted by established media and the government is reliable and accurate, significant numbers of users believe that only half or less of information on these sites is reliable and accurate. (Page 52)
Do Internet Users Multitask While Online? -- Many Internet users engage in a variety of offline electronic activities other than the Web while they are online. The Digital Future Project found that nearly two-thirds of all users (65.4 percent) engage in other electronic activities while online such as listening to recorded music or the radio, engaging in instant messaging, watching TV, or talking on the telephone. (Page 54)
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Consumer Behavior
Internet Purchasing: Do You Buy Online? How Much? How Often? -- In Year Four, the number of adults who bought online increased slightly over the previous year; the annual number of purchases continues to increase, and the average dollars spent online by adult buyers dipped slightly. (Page 56)
As Internet Experience Increases, Buying Online Increases -- Internet users dont necessarily become Web shoppers as soon as they begin going online. Much higher percentages of very experienced users compared to new users shop online. (Page 58)
More than half of very experienced adult users (55.6 percent) shop online. (Page 58)
Internet Purchasing: Does It Affect Buying In Retail Stores? -- In Year Four, Internet buyers in growing numbers report that buying online reduces some purchasing in retail stores. More than two-thirds of Internet users who buy online (67.1 percent) say their retail purchasing has been somewhat reduced or reduced a lot. (Page 59)
As Internet experience grows, buying online increasingly reduces purchasing in retail stores. In the study, 71.5 percent of very experienced users who buy online say their retail purchasing has been somewhat reduced or reduced a lot compared to one-third of new users. (Page 59)
Shop In Stores, Then Buy Online; Shop Online, Then Buy In Stores -- The number of online purchasers who shop in local stores and later buy online has increased. In the current study, 69.1 percent of Internet purchasers say they sometimes or often browse in traditional retail locations and then buy online up from 64.7 percent in the previous study. (Page 60)
Are You Concerned About Your Privacy When Buying Online? -- In one of several questions in the study that explore the issues of privacy and security online, most respondents continued to report some level of concern about the privacy of their personal information when or if they buy on the Internet. However, the intensity of that concern has declined steadily in the three years these questions have been asked in the study. (Page 63)
Overall, the number of respondents who are not concerned grew to 11.8 percent, more than double the number three years ago. (Page 63)
Concerns About Privacy: Purchasers Vs. Non-Purchasers -- Much higher numbers of non-purchasers than purchasers are concerned about the privacy of their personal information when or if they buy online. However, worth noting is the decline in concerns from year to year among non-purchasers. (Page 64)
Concerns About Privacy: Non-Users, New Users, Very Experienced Users -- Comparing non-users, new users, and very experienced users shows that concerns about privacy of personal information when or if they buy online decline as Internet use increases. (Page 65)
Concerns About Credit Card Information: Continuing, But Declining -- As with issues of personal privacy, concerns about credit card security on the Internet remain high among non-users, new Internet users, and very experienced users. However, the intensity of that concern is declining. (Page 67)
What Are Your Concerns About Using Credit Cards Online? -- Respondents most frequently cite hackers are their primary cause for concern about using credit cards online; in the current study, nearly three-quarters (74.2 percent) of respondents were very concerned or extremely concerned about hackers. (Page 68)
Notably, the number of respondents who are very concerned or extremely concerned about using credit cards online because they know someone who has experienced credit card fraud has increased. And, the number of respondents who say they are very concerned or extremely concerned because of personal experience has increased. (Page 68)
What Would Reduce Your Concerns About Using A Credit Card Online? -- For a growing number of respondents who have some concerns about using their credit cards online, nothing will reduce those concerns. (Page 69)
Extremely small percentages of Internet users a total of less than four percent cite either new laws or government enforcement as effective methods to ease concerns. (Page 69)
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Communication Patterns
Do You Use E-mail? -- E-mail use the most popular online activity continues to increase. More than 90 percent of Internet users in the current study (92.5 percent) have e-mail, meaning that 70.2 percent of Americans now use e-mail. (Page 71)
How Often Do You Check Your E-mail? -- Of all e-mail users in Year Four of the study, 62.3 percent say they check e-mail once a day or more, compared to 61.2 percent in 2002 and 57.7 percent in 2001. (Page 72)
Almost one-third (33.2 percent) of e-mail users say they check e-mail several times a day, or every hour or more, compared to 29.2 percent in 2002 and 25.6 percent in 2001. (Page 72)
How Often Should Users Check E-mail? -- While a large percentage of e-mail users respond to messages within one day or less, many users believe that e-mail does not require such a timely response. (Page 73)
Slightly less than half of Internet users (49.1 percent) say that an e-mail reply should be sent as soon as possible or within one day. However, the majority of the rest say that a reply should be sent within 2-3 days or longer. (Page 73)
More than twice as many new users compared to very experienced users say e-mail replies should be sent as soon as possible. However, 64.5 percent of very experienced users say e-mail replies should be sent in 1-3 days, compared to 45.9 percent of new users. (Page 73)
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Social Effects
Time With Family, Time With Friends -- Most Internet users continue to believe that the Internet has no influence on the amount of time they spend with their family. A near-identical percentage say that Internet use has no effect on the time they spend with friends. (Page 76)
Internet And Watching Television: The Right Amount Of Time For Children? -- 14.8 percent of adults say the children in their households spend too much time on the Internet, while 46.2 percent say children spend too much time watching television. (Page 77)
About three-quarters (75.5 percent) of adults say the children in their household spend just the right amount of time online an increase over 2001 and 2002. (Page 77)
The number of adults who say that children spend too much time online dropped for the first time since 2000. (Page 77)
Does Using The Internet Change Childrens TV Viewing Habits? -- A large majority of adults continues to report that children in their households watch about the same amount of television as they did before they began to use the Internet. (Page 78)
Schoolwork And The Internet -- Views vary among students and adults about the usefulness of the Internet for schoolwork. (Page 79)
More than 60 percent of students age 18 and under say that the Internet is very important or extremely important for their schoolwork. (Page 79)
Although students consider the Internet important to their schoolwork, the Internet is not perceived by adults as having an effect on school grades. (Page 79)
Freedom Of Speech, Government Control of Internet Content -- Respondents express conflicting views about freedom of speech and government control of Internet content. Regarding freedom of speech, nearly 90 percent of all respondents agree (agree or strongly agree) that freedom of speech is important to them. (Page 81)
However, in spite of large majorities of users and non-users alike agreeing about the importance of freedom of speech, much lower percentages of all respondents (28.2 percent) agree that the government should allow undesirable content on the Internet. (Page 82)
Concerns About Technologys Effect On Loss Of Personal Privacy -- Overall, 38 percent of all respondents agree (agree or strongly agree) that new technology will lead to the loss of personal privacy. (Page 84)
Political Knowledge, Power, and Influence -- The Internet is viewed by growing numbers of users as a tool for learning about the political process. However, it is not yet perceived as a medium that can help users gain political power or more say in what government does. (Page 86).
The Internet At Work: Business And Personal Use -- Internet users continue to report growing levels of Internet access at work for both personal and professional use. (Page 88)
A steadily growing number of users who have Internet access at work report that they go online for personal use at work peaking in the current study. (Page 88)
E-mail At Work -- Users in Year Four who have access to the Internet at work report the highest levels yet for using e-mail and visiting Web sites for both business and personal use. (Page 89)
Does The Internet Affect Productivity? -- The number of users who say the Internet at work makes them more productive has continued to increase for four years in a row. (Page 89)
Health Care Information Online: Access Varies Based on Internet Experience -- Using the Internet as a source of health or medical information varies widely between new users and very experienced users. Almost two-thirds of very experienced users (65.1 percent) say they have accessed health care information online within the last 12 months, compared to less than one-quarter of new users (24 percent). (Page 91)
Why Go Online For Health And Medical Information? -- Internet users seek information for a variety of reasons; among the most frequently cited are: the information is free, quickly available, private, easy to find, and widely available. (Page 92)
How Do You Find Online Information? -- A large number of new users (58.3 percent) looked at a Web site that was recommended by a health care professional. (Page 93)
Views About Health Information Online -- Low numbers of users express concerns about their online searches for health information. In particular, a relatively low number of these users (21.8 percent) agreed or strongly agreed that they were concerned about the quality of the information they found. (Page 95)
What Do Internet Users Do With The Health Information They Find Online? -- Most frequently, health information found online leads users to seek further advice or more information actions that are consistently high among all users. (Page 96)
Large numbers use this information to increase their comfort level with advice they have received from doctors or other health professionals. More than half of users say that the information they found online led them to contact a health care professional. (Page 96)
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The USC Annenberg School
Center for the Digital Future: Background
The USC Annenberg School Center for the Digital Future created and organizes the World Internet Project, which includes the UCLA Internet Report and similar studies in Europe, the Middle East, South America, and Asia.
The Center for the Digital Future was formerly the Center for Communication Policy at UCLA. The center, its staff, and its research projects moved to USC in July.
The Digital Future Project supported by public foundations and private companies, including Accenture, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, the National Cancer Institute, SBC, Sony, Time Warner Companies, and Verizon.
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