LOS ANGELES--UCLA has just released a comprehensive study of the future of the Internet and its social and psychological impact on society. "The UCLA Internet Report: Surveying the Digital Future" includes statistics and charts on attitudes about Internet use. The study details who is using the Internet, public views about the Internet, barriers on using the Internet, and more. The 58-page report (available in full at www.ccp.ucla.edu) was written by Harlan Lebo for the UCLA Center for Communication Policy.

While as many as 66.9 percent of Americans use the Internet, only 39.7 percent have a computer at home. A surprising 51.7 percent of American users do so to buy products and services online, despite press reports about public concern over security.

In spite of reports of a digital divide by education and economic status, 31.2 percent of Americans over the age of 18 who did not graduate high school use the Internet.

Regarding adult views of their children's Internet use, the study found that 89 percent of adults say children in their household spend about the right amount of time (79 percent of parents) or too little time (10 percent) online, which is contrary to the popular view that adults think their children spend too much time online. In fact, 70.5 percent of adults reported that their children's grades have been unchanged since accessing the Internet at home, while 26.2 percent of parents say grades have improved, and only 3.3 percent say their children's grades have declined.

According to Michael Suman, a research director of the project, "It is an important report because it follows the effects of the Internet on people in various aspects of their lives, including how Internet use affects amount of sleep and exercise, sociability, and loneliness." He says the report will create a baseline, with the same group of respondents questioned yearly to track the change in attitudes in this cohort, among current Internet users and those who do not use the Internet. He says, "Another important aspect of the study is that it is international in scope, using the same questions as studies in other countries to learn cross-cultural societal effects. Some other countries currently studying these questions are Singapore, Italy, Japan, and Sweden."

For any questions about the report, send an email to: internet@ucla.edu.

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