internet influence

8/17/2019 Internet Influence

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Internet Seen as

Positive Influence onEducation butNegative on Morality

in Emerging andDeveloping Nations Internet Usage More Common Among the Young, Well-Educatedand English Speakers


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As more people around the world gain access to all the tools of the digital age, theinternet will play a greater role in everyday life. And so

far, people in emerging and developing nations say thatthe increasing use of the internet has been a goodinfluence in the realms of education, personalrelationships and the economy. But despite all the

benefits of these new technologies, on balance peopleare more likely to say that the internet is a negativerather than a positive influence on morality, and they

are divided about its effect on politics.Overall, a median of 64% across 32 emergingand developing nations say the internet is agood inuence on education, with at least half alsoseeing it as a good influence on personal relationships

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(53! and the economy (5"!. #eople are more mi$edon the internet%s effect on politics, with similarproportions saying that the influence is good (3&! as

say it is bad (3'!.#ublics in emerging and developing nations are moreconvinced that the internet is having a negative effecton morality. A median of " say it is a bad influenceon morality, while only ") see the internet as a goodinfluence. And in no country surveyed does a ma*oritysay that the internet%s influence on morality is a

positive.+owever, many in these emerging and developingnations are left out of the internet revolution entirely. A median of less than half across the 3" countriessurveyed use the internet at least occasionally, througheither smartphones or other devices, though usagerates vary considerably. omputer ownership also

varies, from as little as 3 in -ganda to / in 0ussia.


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But accessing the internet no longer re1uires a fi$edline to a computer, and in many nations cell phones arenearly universal, while landlines are almost unheard of.2n some countries, such as hile and hina,smartphone usage rates are comparable to that of the

-nited tates.2nternet access and smartphone ownership rates inthese emerging and developing nations are greatestamong the well4educated and the young, i.e. those /4to 34year4olds who came of age in an era of massive


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technological advancement. #eople who read or speak6nglish are also more likely to access the internet, even

when holding constant other key factors, such as age

and education.1 Overall, across the countries surveyed,internet access rates are higher in richer, moredeveloped economies.

Once online, internet usersin emerging and developing nations have embraced

sociali7ing as their most preferred type of digitalactivity. 8a*orities of internet users in all countriessurveyed with large enough sample si7es to analy7e saythey stay in touch with friends and family online. 8anyalso use cyberspace for getting information about

http://www.pewglobal.org/2015/03/19/internet-seen-as-positive-influence-on-education-but-negative-influence-on-morality-in-emerging-and-developing-nations/#fn-32223-1http://www.pewglobal.org/2015/03/19/internet-seen-as-positive-influence-on-education-but-negative-influence-on-morality-in-emerging-and-developing-nations/#fn-32223-1


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politics, health care and government services. 9esscommon are commercial and career activities, such assearching or applying for a *ob, making or receiving

payments, buying products and taking online classes.ocial networkers in these countries share informationon popular culture, such as music, movies and sports.:o a lesser e$tent, they share views about commercialproducts, politics and religion. 0egardless of whatinternet users choose to do online, most in theseemerging and developing countries are doing it daily.

:hese are among the main findings of a #ew 0esearchenter survey conducted among 3&,&) people in 3"emerging and developing countries from 8arch to;une 5, "'. All interviews were conducted face4to4face. omparison figures from the -.. are from a #ew0esearch telephone survey conducted April "" to 8ay, "', among ,''" people, unless otherwise noted.

Internet Influence Seen as Positive onEducation, Negative on Morality

A clear ma*ority of people in these emerging anddeveloping countries see the internet as a positiveinfluence on education. A median of & among the

general population (including non4internet users! inthe 3" emerging and developing nations surveyed saythe internet is a good influence on education. #eopleare also keen on the internet and its influence onpersonal relationships (53 good influence! and the


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economy (5"!.


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positive influence of the internet on education, theeconomy and politics.

+ighly educated respondents are also more likely to say the internet is a positive influence. i$4in4ten of those

with a secondary education or more say the increasinguse of the internet is a good influence on personalrelationships, compared with among people withless education.

Internet Access Lacking in Manyountries, but More ommon in !ealt"ier Nations

6ven as general publics see the influence of the internetincrease in their everyday lives, there are still manypeople without access to the internet in these emergingand developing countries. Across the 3" nationssurveyed, a median of use the internet at leastoccasionally, either through smartphones or otherdevices. omparatively, as of early "', / of adultsin the -.. use the internet, according to "ew#esearch $enter studies.

Access rates vary considerably across the emerging anddeveloping nations surveyed. :wo4thirds or more inhile (&!, 0ussia (3! and >ene7uela (&! haveaccess to the internet, as do si$4in4ten or more in#oland, hina, 9ebanon and Argentina. ?et less thanhalf in >ietnam (3! and the #hilippines ("! haveinternet access. And in nations that are less

http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/02/27/the-web-at-25-in-the-u-s/http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/02/27/the-web-at-25-in-the-u-s/http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/02/27/the-web-at-25-in-the-u-s/http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/02/27/the-web-at-25-in-the-u-s/


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economically developed, such as those in sub4aharan Africa, internet access rates lag even further.

:oward the bottom in terms of access rates are some ofthe world%s most heavily populated nations in outhand outheast Asia. :hese include 2ndonesia, whereonly " of the population has access to the internet,2ndia ("'!, Bangladesh (! and #akistan (/!.ombined, these countries account for appro$imately a1uarter of the world%s population.

Across the emerging and developing nations surveyed,internet access is closely linked to national income.0icher countries in terms of gross domestic product percapita have more internet users among the adultpopulation compared with poorer nations.

Internet Access Strongly Related to Per Capita Income

Adults who use the internet at least occasionally or own a smartphone

Correlation: 0.85

Source: Spring 2014 Global Attitudes survey. Q67 & Q6. !ata "or G!# per $apita %### "ro' ()*

+orld ,$ono'i$ -utloo/ -$tober 2014.

Additionally, within countries, internet usage ismore common among young people, the welleducated and those who have the aility to read

or spea& 'nglish! #eople with a secondary educationor higher are significantly more likely to use theinternet than their less educated counterparts.imilarly, those who have some 6nglish languageability are more likely to use the internet, even

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accounting for differences in education. Age alsoimpacts whether someone uses the internet @ olderpeople are less likely to report using the internet than

their younger counterparts.


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Among people in emergingand developing nations who have access to the internet,nearly two4thirds (a median of &&! access itdaily. And among internet users in thosecountries, a median of (2% use socialnetwor&ing sites, such as )aceoo& and

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*witter! 8a*orities of internet users in every countrysurveyed say they use social networks, ranging from)3 of internet users in the #hilippines to 5/ in

hina. And while social networkers are found in all agegroups, they are more likely to be under the age of 35. Along with social networking, an e1ually popular use ofthe internet is staying in touch with friends and family.

A median of /& of internet users across the emergingand developing nations surveyed say they have used theinternet this way in the past year.

hile not as popular as sociali7ing, many internet usersalso like to access digital information, whether it ispolitical (a median of 5 among internet users!,medical (&! or governmental ("!. =etting onlinepolitical news is particularly prevalent in 8iddle6astern countries, like :unisia ("!, 9ebanon ('!and 6gypt (&/!.

-tili7ing the internet for career and commerce is a lesspopular activity. Among internet users, medians of lessthan four4in4ten say they look and apply for *obs (35!,make or receive payments (""!, buy products (&!or take online classes (3!.

2n certain countries, these professional and commercialonline activities are more common.


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as Baidu and Alibaba, 5" of internet users say theyhave purchased a product online in the last year.

2n keeping with the

sociali7ing preference of internet users, people onsocial networ&s are apt to share informationaout popular culture, such as music, moviesand sports!8en are more likely than women to sharesports news with their family and friends online.haring information about personal views regardingreligion and politics and purchases is less common.

9ess than four4in4ten social networkers in emergingand developing nations say they share views aboutproducts (3!, politics (3! and religion (3'!. Butthere is a range of interest in debating these topicsonline, from the / among social networkers in 0ussia

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and -kraine who discuss religion to the & in ;ordan who say the same. imilar ranges can be found forsharing views about politics and products on social

networks.

Smartp"ones %ave Not &et 'eplaced'egular Mobile P"ones

2n several of the countries surveyed, si7eablepercentages access the internet from devices other thana computer in their home. Across the 3" emerging anddeveloping nations, a median of 3/ have a workingcomputer in their household. 2n ' countries, computerownership is roughly two4in4ten or less. By contrast,/' in the -.. and / in 0ussia have a computer in

working order in their house.


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ell phone ownership ismuch more common in the emerging and developingnations surveyed. A median of (4% across the 32nations own a cell phone +of any type, not faro- from the .!/! 0gure of 9%! 8obile ownership

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rates range from ) in hina and ;ordan down to in #akistan.But smartphones @ and the mobile access to the

internet that they make possible in some locations @are not nearly as common as conventional cell phones. A median of only " say they own a cell phone thatcan access the internet and applications (ee Appendi$B for a full list of devices in each country!. 2n the -..,5/ owned a smartphone as of early "'.

:hese cell phones and smartphones are critical ascommunication tools in most of the emerging anddeveloping nations, mainly because the infrastructurefor landline communications is sparse, and in manyinstances almost none$istent. 2n these emerging anddeveloping nations, only a median of ) have a

working landline telephone in their home. 2n fact, inmany African and Asian countries, landline penetrationis in the low single digits. :his compares with &'landline ownership in the -..

ell phones also have the added benefit of beingcapable of more than *ust vocal communication. Amongcell phone owners across the 3" countries, & use te$tmessaging via their phones. :his is similar to the /3

of cell owners in the -.. who te$t. And an additional55 of mobile owners in these emerging anddeveloping nations use their phones for taking picturesor video.

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