Americans using the Internet to cope with the recession and understand it

Some 69% of all American adults -- fully 88% of Internet users -- have gone online to get help with personal economic issues that have arisen in the recession and to gather information about the origins and solutions to national economic problems. The Internet ranks high among sources of information and advice that people are seeking during hard times, especially when it comes to their personal finances and jobs. Among broadband users, the Internet is the top source for material on personal coping strategies during the recession. At the same time, broadcast media outpace the Internet as sources of news about national economic affairs. Those hard hit by the recession are among the most avid and wide-ranging Internet users for advice and understanding. Some 52% of American adults have either lost their jobs, seen their investments fall by more than half their value, suffered a pay cut, watched their house lose half its value, or lost their job outright during the downturn in the past year. Much of the report deals with a subpopulation the Project calls "online economic users." They are the 88% of online Americans who have used the Internet for financial or recession-related purposes. Overall, 34% of online economic users have created content and commentary about the recession in places like blogs, social network sites and Twitter.