Surfing for God?

By Ida Smith-Williams

A sample of worshipers participating in Wave 2 of the U.S. Congregational Life Survey answered questions about email and internet use related to their faith. Three-fourths of worshipers (75%) report going online to access the Internet or to send and receive email for any purpose. These worshipers then told us about their Web and email use.

What faith-related things are worshipers looking for on the Internet? Worshipers don't seem to be using the internet for random surfing about religion. Most often they are checking their congregation's Web site (82% of worshipers say their congregation has a Web site, and 73% of worshipers visited their congregation's Web site) and vising Web sites related to their faith (72%).

Here's what else they are doing online related to their own faith:

• Looking for information about their own faith (46%)
• Reading online news about religious affairs (37%)
• Downloading or listening to music with religious or spiritual themes (31%)
• Looking for information about other faiths (28%)
• Subscribing to a faith-oriented listserv or email service (20%)
• Getting ideas for important religious ceremonies such as weddings or funerals (16%)
• Getting ideas for ways to celebrate religious holidays (16%)
• Making a donation to a faith-based charitable group (13%)
• Giving or receiving faith-oriented guidance or support (13%)

Very few are involved in these faith-related online activities:

• Visting social network sites such as Facebook or MySpace for religious purposes (10%)
• Finding a new church (9%)
• Finding religious activities or daycare for children (7%)
• Exploring non-traditional faith practices, such as meditation, crystals, et. (6%)
• Participating in online worship services (6%)

Worshipers visiting Web sites related to their faith don't do so very often. Almost half of worshipers noted that they visit religious Web sites several times a year or less often (46%). A quarter said "several times a month" (25%); one in six visited once a week or more often (16%); and only one in eight visited such Web sites daily (13%).

Likewise, worshipers don't seem to be using email "religiously." In the previous year, worshipers used email to:

• Contact another member of their congregation (48%)
• Forward an email with spiritual or religious content to another member (31%)
• Conduct congregational business (24%)
• Plan religious activities (23%)
• Make a prayer request (23%)
• Plan an event for the congregation (22%)
• Seek religious or spiritual guidance (15%)
• Give religious or spiritual guidance (14%)
• Participate in a listserv or online group related to the congregation (9%)

While worshipers use the Internet and email as much as the general population, they don't do so for religious purposes very often and their goals are typically specific and definite. Few are "surfing for God."

Comments

[Reg Bruce]

http://god.net/
Apparently God has not completed his web site -- takes more than a week to construct?!

[Terry Bascom]

This is interesting...I had thought there was more use of the internet than your study suggests.

Two things I'd like to know, if the data indicates: what is the INCREASE in use of the internet to "surf for God" between the Waves? And, is there a difference between how and how often churchgoers and non-churchgoers use the internet for religious purposes?

[Ida Smith-Williams]

Thanks, Terry for your interesting comments.
The questions we asked on the use of the internet are new questions and not asked on the first Wave. Therefore, we can’t answer what the increase in use of the internet is. Also, our survey went strictly to worshippers. They actually filled it out on a Sunday during worship services so all we have is data for churchgoers. I did see from a study by Pew Internet & American Life Project in 2004, that they found 64% of wired Americans had used the Internet for spiritual or religious purposes. They also found little association between internet involvement and attendance at church.
http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2004/Faith-Online.aspx