The recession study found that people are turning to the Net both for information about the economy and to avoid thinking about it. Three-quarters of "online economic users go online to relax and take their minds off of the recession," said the study released Thursday by the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

"This fits within a broader trend of the Internet increasingly becoming a go-to source for people to relax, take it easy and have fun," said Aaron Smith, the researcher who wrote the report.

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