The image of the internet being home to geeky loners surfing the web is hugely misleading, according to new research.
People who spend long periods of time at their computer are more community-minded and sociable than average. A third of all internet users belonged to a community group and were 50% more likely to be regular church-goers.
The study, carried out by the University of Warwick, found people with money and education were far more likely to use the internet than those without. According to the research, almost two-thirds of people earning £32,000 or more a year made personal use of the net. This compared with just 9% of individuals with annual incomes of between £6,000 and £12,000.