http://www.nua.ie/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905358755&rel=true 




  
Pew Internet & American Life: Americans turn to Web for news on war
Apr 03 2003: New research from Pew Internet & American Life indicates that 77 percent of online Americans have used the Net in connection with the war in Iraq. 

In all, 55 percent of the nation’s 116 million adult Internet users have sent or received emails related to the war, while 56 percent have used the Web to get news, general information and commentary from Internet sites that have war related material and argument.

Around 44 percent of online Americans have used the Net to look for news related to the war, while 15 percent have used it to get information about the country and people of Iraq. 

Pew Internet & American Life’s research reveals that one in seven Internet users say they are going online more because of the news. War opponents are slightly more likely than supporters to report intensified Internet use.

The overwhelming majority of American Internet users are still using television to get most of their war news and many also find information via newspapers and the radio. Still, 17 percent of online Americans say their principal source of information about the war is the Internet. 

The study also indicates that Internet users are more likely than non-users to support the war and to support the way President Bush is conducting it. 

Approximately 66 percent of Internet users say that the ability to get news from a variety of sources is their primary reason for using the Net to find information on the war. This compares with 63 percent who use the Internet because it offers up-to-the-minute news and 52 percent who use the Internet to get points of view different from those found in traditional news mediums. 

Some four percent of online Americans report that they have gone to blogs for information and opinions related to the war in Iraq.

Around a fifth of online Americans say that the Internet has helped them make their views about the war known to others.