WASHINGTON

Most Internet users in the United States say the Internet plays a significant role in their daily lives, according to a recent study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project. For example, 64 percent of Interact users say their daily routines and activities would be affected if they were not able to use the Interact.

Other key findings include:

* Eighty-eight percent of online Americans state the Internet has a role in their daily lives. Of those, one-third say it plays a major role, and two-thirds say it plays a minor role. The activities they report as most significant are communicating with family and friends and finding information relevant to their lives.

* Fifty-three percent of Internet users report that they do more of certain everyday activities simply because they can do them on the Internet. The most popular are communicating with family and friends and looking up information.

Still, while nearly all Internet users surf the Net to conduct some of their ordinary day-today activities online, most resort to the traditional offline ways of communicating, transacting affairs, getting information and entertaining themselves. …