It is financed by the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Philadelphia-based philanthropy. Rainie heads a seven-member staff of researchers in Washington, just a few blocks from the White House. Relying on thousands of old-fashioned telephone interviews, Rainie's project has been asking who has Internet access, and why. The answers are providing benchmarks for online demographics and activities, which researchers could use for years to come as reference points to measure the Internet's evolution and impact. The Internet promotes social interaction, not geeky isolation.
People worry about online privacy but easily give it away.
Religious people, far from fearing the Net, say it enhances spiritual life. The Internet had only a minimal effect in the 2000 election process. Last week, it issued a report saying Americans blame the dot-com bust on greed and bad business plans. Next month, the project will release a study about the enormous significance of the Internet and, in particular, instant messaging, to children and teenagers, who are using the technology for hours a day, in many cases to communicate with distant cousins, summer-camp friends, and even the children next door. And if some of these findings only confirm what observers think they know by experience and intuition, that is fine, Rainie said.