Survey: Internet reviews mixed

Internet access varies widely across the globe - from Bangladesh's meager 11 percent to 87 percent of the U.S. population. Yet wherever you look, its saturation and influence is rising, via home computers, tablets and especially smart phones. Other than diverting our attention from live interaction and increasing the size of our bums, is our growing use of the Web a good thing or a bad thing?

Yes to both, says Pew research. We know more stuff, but we're thinking at shallower depths.

The biggest benefit people see, especially in developing nations and according to global surveys conducted by Pew through 2014, is education. The biggest drawback? Morality. Somewhere between fall its impacts on personal, business and societal relationships.

Asking more than 36,000 adults in 32 nations (with varying levels of development) how they view the impact of our increasing use of the Internet, Pew found:

Education: 64 percent see it as a positive influence, 18 percent as bad, and 8 percent see no influence (the rest undecided/no response). Breaking that down between Internet users and non-users, that changes to 73 percent positive (internet users) and 58 percent positive (non-users).

Personal relationships: 53 percent positive, 25 percent negative, 10 percent none. Among users, 65 percent positive (non-users, 44 percent).

Economy: 52 percent positive, 19 percent negative, 15 percent none. Among users, 61 percent positive (non-users, 44 percent).

Politics: 36 percent positive, 30 percent negative, 16 percent none. Among users, 45 percent positive (non-users, 30 percent).

Morality: 29 percent positive, 42 percent negative, 12 percent none. Among users, 35 percent positive (non-users, 25 percent).

As you can see, Internet users were 10 to 20 percent more likely than are non-users to see the internet as a positive influence. Equally unsurprising was the finding that younger adults are the most likely to use and spend more time on the Internet; they also see it more positively than older adults. Pew also found that those more educated (i.e., some college or secondary education) of all ages are more likely to use the Internet, and they are also about 10 percent more likely to see its impacts positively in all areas surveyed.

Populations in emerging and developing nations generally are more convinced that the Internet is having a negative effect on morality, with some anomalies. Access runs as low as 3 percent in Uganda to 78 percent in Russia, yet populations in Africa nevertheless see the Internet more positively than Eastern nations.

Smaller and smarter technologies are also changing access, making it cheaper and easier (without requiring home linkups) for even the very poor to go online. Smartphone use in China and Chile are comparable to U.S. rates, and access is cheaper, although rates of poverty in those two countries are much higher than here.

What do people use the Internet for? Mostly socializing with friends and family (86 percent), followed by political news (54 percent), health information (46 percent), and job hunting (35 percent. Sixteen percent use it primarily to buy stuff.

In no country was the Internet's impact on morality seen as a net positive. This study did not ask what people mean by that, which an earlier survey suggests may vary by culture. Look for more on that survey, examining attitudes on what is morally acceptable, in a future column. For more information see Pewglobal.org.

Sholeh Patrick, J.D. is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network. Contact her at Sholeh@cdapress.com.