• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, December 5, 2006

Fully 40 million Americans use the internet as their primary source of news and information about science, and 87% of online users have at one time used the internet to carry out research on a scientific topic or concept, according to a national survey conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project in collaboration with the Exploratorium.

As a primary source for science information, the internet is second only to television among the general population. For Americans with high-speed internet connections at home, the internet is as popular as TV for news and information about science. And for young adults with high-speed connections at home, the internet is the most popular source for science news and information by a 44% to 32% margin over television.

Additional findings include the fact that:

• 87% of online users have used the internet to look up the meaning of a scientific concept, answer a specific science question, learn more about a scientific breakthrough, help complete a school assignment, check the accuracy of a scientific fact, downloaded scientific data, or compare different or opposing scientific theories
• Two-thirds of respondents asked about stem cell research said they would first turn to the internet
• 59% asked about climate change said they would first go to the internet
• 71% of internet users say they turn to the internet for science news and information because it is convenient
• 65% say they have encountered news and information about science when they have gone online for a different reason

John B. Horrigan, Associate Director of the Pew Internet & American Life Project, says "People's use of the internet for science information has a lot to do with the internet's convenience as a research tool, but it also connected to people's growing dependence on the internet for information of all types..."

Users of the internet for science information also report better attitudes about the role science plays in society and higher assessments of how well they understand science. Specifically:

• 78% of those who have gotten science information online describe themselves as "very" or "somewhat" informed about new scientific discoveries
• 58% of remaining internet users says this
• 48% strongly agree that to be a strong society, the United States needs to be competitive in science
• 33% of remaining online users strongly agree with this
• 43% strongly agree that scientific research is essential to improving the quality of human lives
• 27% of remaining online users say this
• 59% of Americans have been to some sort of science museum in the past year, such as a zoo or aquarium, natural history museum, science or technology museum, or planetarium
• 49% of internet users have gone to a website whose content is devoted to science, such as the Smithsonian's website or NationalGeographic.com.
• The report also shows a relationship between the two behaviors: those who have gone to a science museum are more likely to visit science websites, and vice versa

Find more information about this study here.