1. National trends, local insights The internet’s impact on parents, students, K-12 education, and local government Susannah Fox 4.28.05

2. Being online is the norm – but it is not universal 67%

3. Regional webmaster survey results

4. Broadband adoption 58 million

5. Digital divide 1: Age

6. Digital divide 2: Employment status

7. Digital divide 3: Household income

8. Digital divide 4: Educational attainment

9. Digital divide 5: Community type

10. New Reality 1: Families are wired 81% of parents and 79% of teens agree that kids are not as careful as they should be about the information they give out online 62% of parents and 62% of teens agree that kids do things online that they wouldn’t want their parents to know about Overall, most parents believe that the internet is a good thing for their children

11. Regional webmaster survey results

12. New Reality 2: Interactivity matters profoundly You are in constant “conversation” with your constituents People like to create content and they expect to be able to interact online 44% of internet users have created content and posted it online 57% of broadband users have done so

13. Regional webmaster survey results

15. Comparison: Local government officials survey In 2002, 88% of National League of Cities members used email 73% said email helps them better understand public opinion 56% said it has improved relations with community 32% said email influenced policy decisions (phone was still king in 2002)

16. New Reality 3: People rely on the web to get government info 66% of internet users have gone to a government Web site Most find what they are looking for and were satisfied (esp. federal site visitors) 65% of internet users expect gov’t info to be on the Web 39% of all Americans (including 10% of non-internet users!) will turn to the Net first for next gov’t contact

17. Regional webmaster survey results

18. New Reality 4: People use online info to make decisions When faced with a major life moment, many internet users turn to the Web Greatest impact: choosing a school; starting a hobby; getting additional training for work; buying a car; helping someone deal with a major illness 45% of internet users said the Net played a crucial role in at least one of the 15 “moments” we asked about in 2002

19. Conclusions Study your audience, including the technology leaders in your midst – current students Optimize your search engine – Google has spoiled us all Open up to interactivity – but be ready for enthusiastic hordes if you live in a broadband-rich community

20. Contact information Susannah Fox, Pew Internet & American Life Project Sfox(at)pewinternet.org 202 419 4500