Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Background Since the mid-1990s when the World Wide Web became a powerful part of America’s communications and information culture, there has been great concern that the nation’s racial minorities would be further disadvantaged because Internet access was not spreading as quickly in the African-American community as it was in the white community. Former Assistant Secretary […]
The same demographic groups which are moving away from the nightly network news in the greatest numbers are some of the very same groups which are moving toward online news use at the highest rates — more affluent, more well-educated Americans. Indeed, as the number of people regularly getting news online has grown, so has […]
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 8, 2000)–Some 13 million Americans have downloaded free music files on the Internet that they do not own in other forms such as CDs or cassette tapes, according to a new report from the Pew Internet & American Life Project. We call these Internet users “freeloaders” because they are getting new songs […]
The decline in the number of Americans who say they enjoy the news is a continuation of a long-term trend. In 1995, a majority (54%) said they enjoyed keeping up with the news a lot. That number fell to 50% in 1998 and 45% this year. While Americans remain generally satisfied with the quality of […]
The revolution in communications technology is clearly changing the way Americans live, and it has created a highly competitive environment for those who provide news and information to the public. Nearly seven-in-ten Americans (68%) now use a computer on at least an occasional basis, up from 61% in 1998 and 58% in 1996. Almost as […]
Section 1: Americans want a privacy guarantee Privacy has emerged as a central policy concern about the Internet as more Americans go online every day – and recent weeks have brought a ceaseless number of new allegations about privacy violations by Internet companies. In the past three months, a series of events have heightened sensitivities. […]
Introduction and Summary Traditional news outlets are feeling the impact of two distinct and powerful trends. Internet news has not only arrived, it is attracting key segments of the national audience. At the same time, growing numbers of Americans are losing the news habit. Fewer people say they enjoy following the news, and fully half […]
While the crowded landscape has fragmented audiences, it has given the most sophisticated and technology-savvy news consumers an array of options that would have been inconceivable just a few years ago. Americans who are active stock traders and investors are perfectly positioned to take advantage of these choices. Active traders — those who have bought […]
In addition to regularly tracking news interest, the Pew Research Center has periodically tested the public’s knowledge of news and current events by including “information” questions on many of its surveys. These information questions are designed to provide insight into how extensively major news stories are understood and absorbed by the public. They cover a […]
A new study released today shows that more than nine million women have gone online for the first time in the last six months, and they have brought gender parity to the Internet population. This surge in Internet usage by women is also reshaping America”s social landscape because women are using email to enrich their […]