Religionline

FAITH ONLINE

A new national survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project finds that nearly two-thirds of online Americans use the Internet for faith-related reasons. The 64% of Internet users who perform spiritual and religious activities online represent nearly 82 million Americans. Those who use the Internet for religious or spiritual purposes are more likely to be women, white, middle aged, college educated, and relatively well-to-do. In addition, they are somewhat more active as Internet users than the rest of the Internet population."There has been much speculation about the impact of the Internet on religion, particularly as increasing numbers of Americans have been turning to sources other than their own traditions and clergy," said Prof. Stewart Hoover of the University of Colorado at Boulder, the lead author of the Pew Internet Project report. "The survey provides clear evidence that the majority of the online faithful are there for personal spiritual reasons, including seeking outside their own traditions," Hoover added, "but they are also deeply grounded in those traditions, and this Internet activity supplements their ties to traditional institutions, rather than moving them away from church." The survey found that two-thirds of those who attend religious services weekly use the Internet for personal religious or spiritual purposes.