What does the "man on the street" think of physics? How does he perceive its impact in daily life and in his choices about the future? And in what way have the internet and new technologies changed the communication of physics? This study, developed by the staff of the Pirelli INTERNETional Award in collaboration with the University of Trento, tries to answer the question.

In the first part we look at some of the main studies available on the public perception toward physics in general and areas of particular visibility in particular, such as nuclear energy and nanotechnologies.

In the second part, instead, describes the availability of scientific information on the internet and examines the main online multimedia projects.

Finally, in the third part, some interviews with science communicators, researchers and managers of online projects dedicated to physics are presented.