Research Supporting Our Work

 

The Digital Divide and Economic Benefits of Broadband Access by The Council of Economic Advisors

• "Just under half of households in the bottom income quintile using the Internet at home, compared to 95 percent of households in the top quintile."

• "Academic research shows that using online job search leads to better labor market outcomes, including faster re-employment for unemployed individuals, yet because of a digital divide, low- income households are less able to use these tools than high-income households."

• "Addressing the digital divide requires effort on multiple fronts, including policies that make broadband more affordable."

• "When Google Fiber was to be rolled out in Kansas City, speeds on existing networks in Kansas surged 86 percent."

• "Effective digital literacy training may require place-based or demographically tailored interventions."

 

Home Broadband 2015 by Pew Research

• "The share of Americans with broadband at home has plateaued, and more rely only on their smartphones for online access"

• Those who are “smartphone-dependent” for access do encounter distinct challenges.

  • they are more likely than other users to run up against data-cap limits that often accompany smartphone service plans

  • they also more frequently have to cancel or suspend service due to financial constraints

  • those who use digital tools for job searches face challenges when it comes to key tasks such as filling out job applications and writing cover letters.

• "Those without home high-speed service are much more likely now than in the past to say that lacking a home subscription is a major disadvantage when it comes to accessing government services, searching for employment, following the news, learning new things, or getting health information."

 

Fact Sheet: 2016 Broadband Progress Report from the FCC 

• "One-third of all Americans – 100 million people – haven’t adopted broadband at home. Broadband adoption is key to America’s competitiveness – to jobs, e-government, education, and energy. Compare that to South Korea and Singapore where adoption rates top 90 percent."

• "Internationally, the U.S. continues to lag behind a number of other developed nations, ranking 16th out of 34 countries"

 

Opportunity for all? Technology and learning in lower-income families from The Joan Ganz Cooney Center

• "Most low- and moderate-income families have some form of Internet connection, but many are under-connected, with mobile-only access and inconsistent connectivity":

  • "One third (33%) of those below the poverty level rely on mobile-only Internet access."

  • "Among families who have home Internet access, half (52%) say their accessis too slow, one quarter (26%) say too many people share the same computer, and one fifth (20%) say their Internet has been cut off in the last year due to lack of payment."

• "Parents with mobile-only access are [...] 25 percentage points less likely to use online banking or bill-paying (49% vs. 74%), 14 percentage points less likely to apply for jobs or services online (42% vs. 56%), and 12 percentage points less likely to get news or follow local events online (70% vs. 82%)."

• "Four in 10 parents without a home computer (40%) or home Internet access (42%) say the main reason they do not have these items is because they are too expensive."

• "Children from low- and moderate-income families use computers and the Internet for a variety of educational activities, but those without home access are less likely to go online to pursue their interest. [...] 35% of those with mobile only access say they 'often' do this, compared to 52% of those with home access."

• "Children and parents frequently learn with, and about, technology together, especially in families with the lowest incomes and where parents have less education":

  • "Among parents who did not graduate from high school, 62% say their child has helped them with technology, compared with 45% of parents who graduated from college."

  • "Among families with more than one 6- to 13-year-old and a computer in the home, [...] more than half (53%) of children from the lowest income group (less than $25,000 a year) 'often' help each other learn about computers and technology, compared to 33% of those in the higher-income group ($45,000–65,000 a year)."

 

Barriers to Internet Adoption from the FCC & Connect to Compete.

• "Less than one-third of the poorest Americans have adopted broadband"

• "About 46% of low-income families have adopted broadband at home compared with over 90% of higher income families"

• "80%+ of Fortune 500 companies require online job applications (including major employers such as WalMart, Target, Costco, and ExxonMobil)"

 

Who uses the Internet (18+) by Pew Internet

• Only 56 percent of people 65+ are using the Internet

• Only 59 percent of people without a high school education use the Internet

 

Digital Differences by Pew Internet

• One in five American adults does not use the internet

• Among adults who do not use the internet, almost half have told us that 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%)

• 88% of American adults have a cell phone, 57% have a laptop, 19% own an e-book reader, and 19% have a tablet computer

 

What it’s like to go on the Internet for the very first time — at age 82 by the Washington Post

• "Seniors who log on tend to be far more educated about their health; they’re far less isolated and more independent."

• "One study out of the University of Michigan suggested that Internet use could cut depression risk among seniors by more than 30 percent — a huge finding, given the wide-ranging effects that depression and isolation have on senior’s health." 

 

Access to Broadband Internet: Top Ten Areas of Saving - 2013 by Internet Innovation Alliance

• A typical U.S. household can save more than $8,000 each year by using the Internet

 

Trend data and research by topic area by Pew Internet

• This section contains charts and Excel data files of a selection of the Pew Internet Project's latest findings about internet and technology use among Americans

 

NTIA broadband map - This map displays broadband technologies offered to end users

 

The numbers behind the broadband ‘homework gap’ by Pew Research Center

• "31.4% of households whose incomes fall below $50,000 and with children ages 6 to 17 do not have a high-speed internet connection at home. [...] By comparison, only 8.4% of households with annual incomes over $50,000 lack a broadband internet connection at home. In other words, low-income homes with children are four times more likely to be without broadband than their middle or upper-income counterparts."

 

Parental Involvement in Schools by Child Trends

• "Students with parents who are involved in their school tend to have fewer behavioral problems and better academic performance, and are more likely to complete high school than students whose parents are not involved in their school."