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Are We Really A Nation Online?Ethnic and Racial Disparities in Access to
Technology and Their Consequences
Robert W. Fairlie
University of California, Santa Cruz and National Poverty Center, University of Michigan
September 27, 2005
Introduction
"A Nation Online: How Americans Are Expanding Their Use of the Internet" by the U.S. Department of Commerce (2002)
Documents the rapid growth in the use of the Internet in the past few years. Notes that Internet use among African-Americans and Latinos grew at a
substantially faster rate from August 2000 to September 2001 than Internet use among whites or Asians.
Latest report by the Department of Commerce (2004) entitled, "A Nation Online: Entering the Broadband Age,“
Does not discuss racial differences in access to technology. A closer look at the data, however, reveals that we have a long way to go.
Minorities have made gains as a ratio to whites, but not in percentage point terms.
Outline
Document ethnic and racial disparities using data from the October 2003 Current Population Survey.
Conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics Representative of the entire U.S. population and interviews approximately
50,000 households. The October 2003 CPS is the most recent government dataset on access to
technology. Used in the Department of Commerce’s most recent “Nation Online” report.
Summarize findings from research on the causes of the digital divide. Summarize findings from research on the labor market and educational
consequences of the digital divide.
Figure 1Percent of the Population that Has a Home Computer by Race/Ethnicity
Current Population Survey, October 2003
74.6%
50.6% 48.7%43.9%
59.3% 59.6%
53.7%
68.3%
51.6%
77.7%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
White Black Latino Mexican PuertoRican
Cuban Central/South
American
OtherLatino
NativeAmerican
Asian
Figure 2Percent of the Population (Ages 18+) with Access to a Home Computer by Race/Ethnicity
Currrent Population Survey, 1984-2003
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002
White, non-Latino
Latino
Black
Figure 3Percent of the Population that Has Access to the Internet at Home by Race/Ethnicity
Current Population Survey, October 2003
67.3%
40.5%38.1%
32.6%
53.0%50.4%
43.9%
54.9%
40.9%
70.3%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
White Black Latino Mexican PuertoRican
Cuban Central/South
American
OtherLatino
NativeAmerican
Asian
Figure 4Percent of the Population (Ages 18+) Who Use the Internet at Home by Race/Ethnicity
Currrent Population Survey, 1997-2003
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
White non-Latino
Latino
Black
Figure 5Percent of Children that Have a Home Computer by Race/Ethnicity
Current Population Survey, October 2003
85.5%
52.8% 52.6%47.1%
64.9%
73.5%
59.9%
77.4%
55.0%
81.8%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
White Black Latino Mexican PuertoRican
Cuban Central/South
American
OtherLatino
NativeAmerican
Asian
Figure 6Percent of Children that Have Access to the Internet at Home by Race/Ethnicity
Current Population Survey, October 2003
77.4%
41.4% 39.8%
33.9%
55.8%
64.4%
47.2%
61.4%
41.9%
72.0%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
White Black Latino Mexican PuertoRican
Cuban Central/South
American
OtherLatino
NativeAmerican
Asian
Figure 7Percent of the Population that Has Hi-Speed Internet Access at Home by Race/Ethnicity
Current Population Survey, October 2003
26.1%
13.9%12.4%
10.2%
18.4%
15.9% 15.6%16.7%
12.7%
33.9%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
White Black Latino Mexican PuertoRican
Cuban Central/South
American
OtherLatino
NativeAmerican
Asian
Causes of the Digital Divide
How much of the digital divide is due to income differences?
How much is due to other factors, such as education?
Figure 8 Percent of the Population that Has a Home Computer by Income and Race
Current Population Survey, October 2003
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
<$10,000 $10,000- $20,000 $20,000- $40,000 $40,000- $60,000 >$60,000
Income Level
White Black Latino
Figure 9 Percent of the Population that Has Access to the Internet at Home by Income and Race
Current Population Survey, October 2003
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
<$10,000 $10,000- $20,000 $20,000- $40,000 $40,000- $60,000 >$60,000
Income Level
White Black Latino
Black Latino Mexican Cuban
Puerto Rican
Central/ South Amer.
Native Amer.
White/minority gap in home 0.244 0.242 0.296 0.224 0.139 0.170 0.199computer rate
Contributions from racialdifferences in:
Sex and age -4.6% -10.5% -9.6% 2.4% -14.4% -16.6% -10.5%
Marital status and 9.6% -0.2% -1.3% 3.8% 7.7% 0.2% 5.4%children
Education 9.4% 22.5% 21.3% 14.7% 32.1% 25.5% 13.3%
Income 27.4% 26.6% 24.3% 20.4% 45.2% 28.4% 36.2%
Region 3.8% -4.1% -4.3% 2.2% -1.3% -5.0% -5.6%
Central city status 0.3% -0.8% -0.5% -2.9% -1.3% -2.3% 4.2%
Employment / Occupation 2.8% 6.3% 6.3% 2.8% 4.0% 9.7% 4.4%
All included variables 48.6% 39.7% 36.1% 43.3% 72.0% 40.0% 47.4%
Explanations for Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Home Computer Rates
Consequences of the Digital Divide
Labor market (skills and job search).
Education
Communications, politics, health information, news, consumers, emergency information
Figure 12Work Computer and Internet Use by Education, United States
Current Population Survey, October 2003
16.1%
42.7%
61.9%
85.0%
59.6%
7.9%
27.1%
45.1%
74.5%
46.0%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Less Than High School High School Graduate Some College College Graduate All Workers
Percent Using Computer at Work Percent Using Internet at Work
Children and Access to Technology
Computers and the Internet are universal in the classroom.
Twenty million children do not have computers in their homes and twenty-five million children do not have access to the Internet at home.
Large ethnic and racial differences in home access.
Home and School Access to Computers and the InternetCurrent Population Survey and National Center for Educational Statistics
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
Schools with Internet AccessInstructional Rooms with Internet Access
Home Computers
Home Internet Access
Educational Impacts of Access to Technology
Home computers may exert a positive influence on academic performance directly through the use of educational software and indirectly by facilitating the completion of school assignments and learning.
The use of home computers may also open doors to learning, encourage some teenagers to stay in school, reduce truancy and crime, and offer economic incentives for completing high school.
Figure 13School Enrollment among Children Ages 16-18
Current Population Survey, 2001
95.2%
85.4%
50.0%
55.0%
60.0%
65.0%
70.0%
75.0%
80.0%
85.0%
90.0%
95.0%
100.0%
Without Access to Home Computer With Access to Home Computer
Figure 14School Enrollment Differences from Access to Home Computers
Current Population Survey, 2001
9.8%
1.4%
7.7%
0.0%
2.0%
4.0%
6.0%
8.0%
10.0%
12.0%
Unadjusted Rates Probit Model Bivariate Probit Model
Estimation Technique
Conclusions
The Digital Divide is large and does not appear to be disappearing soon.
Blacks, Latinos and Native Americans are much less likely to have access to computers, the Internet and broadband at home than are white, non-Latinos.
The Digital Divide also appears to be larger for children than for adults.
Income and education inequalities were found to be leading causes of the digital divide (Fairlie 2003, 2004).
The digital divide has important consequences for labor market and educational outcomes (Fairlie 2005 and Beltran, Das and Fairlie 2005).
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