Digital differences in the USA
When the Pew Internet Project first began writing about the role of the internet in American life in 2000, there were stark differences between those who were using the internet and those who were not.1 Today, differences in internet access still exist among different demographic groups, especially when it comes to access to high-speed broadband at home. Among the main findings about the state of digital access:
- One in five American adults does not use the internet.
- The main reason they don’t go online is because they don’t think the internet is relevant to them.
- The 27% of adults living with disability in the U.S. today are significantly less likely than adults without a disability to go online (54% vs. 81%).
- Though overall internet adoption rates have leveled off, adults who are already online are doing more.
- Currently, 88% of American adults have a cell phone, 57% have a laptop, 19% own an e-book reader, and 19% have a tablet computer; about six in ten adults (63%) go online wirelessly with one of those devices.
- The rise of mobile is changing the story.
- Both African Americans and English-speaking Latinos are as likely as whites to own any sort of mobile phone.
