Digital Smarts - Internet Views in Developing Countries

A new Pew Research report on how developing countries view the Internet reveals that many people in those regions think the Internet has a positive influence on education and a negative influence on morality. Pew interviewed more than 36,000 people in 32 emerging and developing countries for the study and asked questions about their individual Internet and cellphone usage. The study found that people who speak English are more likely to use the Internet. Internet usage is also higher among the well educated and young people ages 18 to 34. Across the 32 countries surveyed, a median of 38% said they have a working computer in their homes, ranging from a high of 78% in Russia to 3% in Uganda. In comparison, 80% of U.S. adults have a household computer. While none of this is very surprising, the morality issue will certainly influence Internet censorship in the coming years.