MANILA, Philippines – The Internet may be a distraction to many, but one study shows most Filipinos believe that increasing usage actually has a good influence on education.

The Philippines topped a list of 32 emerging and developing countries where most believe in the good influence of the Internet on education.

In a report on Thursday, March 19, US-based Pew Research Center said 88% of Filipinos see that increasing Internet usage is good for education.

It’s a common sentiment among the surveyed nations, with a median of 64% across the 32 nations. Only 18% say the Internet is bad for education, while 8% say it has no influence. The survey included non-Internet users.

“Generally, people who have access to the Internet are more positive about its societal influence,” the study said.

But the same study showed less than half (42%) in the Philippines have Internet access. For those who are connected, 93% use social media. (READ: Social media in PH: Religion more popular than politics)

Although the Philippines is often dubbed the “social media capital” of the world, a 2014 United Nations report showed only 37% of Filipinos were able to use the Internet in 2013, still below the world average of 37.9%.

The Pew Research Center also showed that getting information about politics, health, and government services is a common activity among Internet users worldwide, next to socializing, which is the most popular activity.  

For the report’s Philippine data, Pew Research Center interviewed 1,008 Filipino adults from May 1 to 21, 2014. The margin of error is ±4 percentage points.

Overall, 36,619 people in 32 emerging and developing countries were interviewed face to face from March 17 to June 5, 2014. – Rappler.com

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