Study: Internet now a mainstream info utility for Americans

A new study scheduled for release Monday reveals that more Americans than
ever before now use the 'Net to obtain info on government services, shopping,
and healthcare. The Pew Internet and American
Life Project report goes even further, stating that "abundant evidence
[exists] that the Internet is now the primary means by which many people get
key information." Or, to compress all 17 pages to one short
blurb: "Most expect to find key information online, most find the information
they seek, many now turn to the Internet first."

Excerpt:

With over 60 percent of Americans now having Internet access and 40 percent of Americans
having been online for more than three years, the Internet has become a mainstream
information tool. Its popularity and dependability have raised all Americans'
expectations about the information and services available online. When they
are thinking about health care information, services from government agencies,
news, and commerce, about two-thirds of all Americans say that they expect
to be able to find such information on the Web. Internet users are more likely
than non-users to have high expectations of what will be available online,
and yet even 40 percent of people who are not Internet users say they expect the
Web to have information and services in these essential online arenas.

For information or services from a government agency, 65 percent of all Americans
expect the Web to have that information. (…) in the realm of electronic
commerce, 63 percent of all Americans expect that a business will have a Web site
that gives them information about a product they are considering buying. (…)
For news, 69 percent of Americans expect to be able to find reliable, up-to-date
news online. (…) For health care information, 67percent of Americans expect that
they can find reliable information about health or medical conditions online.
(…)

When it comes to personal information, the story is different. Only 31percent of
Americans expect to be able to find reliable information about someone online;
35 percent of Internet users say this and 25 percent of non-users say this. However, 58 percent
of Internet users say they expect to be able to reach someone via email.