Posted from Pew Internet Research
The Internet and the Recession
By Lee Rainie, Aaron Smith
July 15, 2009
88% of online Americans have used the internet in the past year for help in coping with the recession and understanding it
Their top searches relate to consumer bargains, new jobs, skills upgrading, chances to earn extra cash, and general news about the economy 
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.
“Internet users are on a dual quest in this recession” said Lee Rainie, Director of the Pew Internet & American Life Project, and co-author of a new report based on a nationwide phone survey about internet use during the recession. “They are seeking highly practical advice about how to survive. And they are going online to gain understanding of what went wrong, and what policies might fix the economy. In many cases, the internet is also a pathway to contributing ideas – and rants – about hard times and a source of expert commentary.”
Read the full report: http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2009/11-The-Internet-and-the-Recession.aspx
How have you used the internet to help during this recession?
How could your business capitalize on this trend?
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