The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

A Nation Online: How Americans are Expanding Their Use of the Internet, the recently released report from the United States Department of Commerce (DOC), shows rapidly growing use of the new information technologies across numerous demographic groups and geographic regions. The report demonstrates that federal leadership to close the digital divide and create digital opportunity is beginning to pay-off. For example, almost 90% of school age children now use computers and rates of use between children of different backgrounds are narrowing. These gains can be attributed to federal programs like the E-rate, which has made Internet service affordable for 95% of public libraries and 98% of public schools, and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, by attracting additional public and private sector investment.

Similarly, programs like the Technology Opportunities Program (TOP) and the Community Technology Centers Program (CTC) have played a major role in seeding innovative efforts to bring the benefits of digital network technologies to underserved communities throughout the United States.

The gains cited in the DOC report are to be applauded. But at the same time, the data in the report demonstrates that not everyone is adopting these tools at the same speed and identifies the groups that are progressing at a slower rate. Significant divides still exist between high and low-income households, among different racial groups, for people with disabilities, as well as between northern and southern states and rural and urban areas. For this reason, the report ought not be used to end federal leadership. Instead it should inform and shape future federal polices and programs to close gaps in computer and Internet adoption, and to help individuals and communities develop the skills needed to succeed in the information age.

What the data in A Nation Online makes clear is that federal leadership matters. The task now is to direct that leadership and resources to where it is most needed.

Federal Leadership is Helping Schools and Libraries Close the Gap

Research data included in A Nation Online provides strong evidence that schools and libraries are playing an important role in providing children in underserved communities access to computers and the Internet. Increasingly, children who lack access to computers and the Internet in their homes are relying on schools and libraries to use technology and to delve into the resources of the Internet. The importance of school and library access, particularly for underserved youth, is undisputed. During the last decade, federal programs like the E-Rate and the Technology Literacy Challenge Fund, served as a catalyst leveraging substantial additional funding from state, local and private funding sources.

By September 2001, nearly 90% of all school-aged children (between the ages of 5-17) use computers and 58.5% use the Internet, mainly to complete school assignments.8 Just over 80% of children (ages 10-17) in the lowest income category were using computers at school, little different from the 88.7% of children at the highest income level. In the lowest income category, however, only 33.1% of children use computers at home, in contrast to 91.7% of children in the highest income category. The gap in computer use narrows, however, from almost 60 points between the highest and lowest income children's use at home to a 12-point gap in computer use when home and school are combined.

Schools Are Closing the Gap for Minorities Without Computer Access at Home

Hispanic and Black children-who have lower computer use rates at home-approach computer use rates of Whites and Asian American/Pacific Islanders largely due to their computer use in school. A far higher percentage of Hispanic (38.9%) and Black (44.7%) children rely solely on schools to use computers than do Asian/Pacific Islanders (11.1%) and White children (15.1%). The availability of school computers makes overall computer use rates among children of different racial and ethnic backgrounds comparable: 84.2% for Hispanic children, 88.8% for Black children, 94% for Asian/Pacific Islander children, and 95.4% for White children.

Use of the Internet from a location other than home or school varies by whether the student has Internet access at home. For example, 16.6% of Internet users in the 10-17 age bracket use the Internet at a public library. (Note: Over one-half of the population that uses the Internet at a public library is under age 25.) This percentage, however, rises to 29.3% among kids who use the Internet at school, but not at home. Although there are large differences in public library use among the various segments of this group, overall public library use remains high for students who use the Internet at school, but not at home.

Libraries Play Critical Role in Internet Access for Low Income Families

Ten percent of Internet users access the Internet at a public library. This proportion remained almost constant between August 2000 and September 2001. Reliance on Internet access at public libraries is more common among those with lower incomes than those with higher incomes. Just over 20% of Internet users with household family incomes of less than $15,000/year use public libraries. As household income rises, not only does the proportion of public library Internet users decline, but also the percentage of Internet users without alternative access points also declines. Among racial and ethnic groups, 12.7% of Whites, 19.4% of Blacks, and 16.0% of Hispanics using the Internet at libraries do not also access the Internet from home, work or school. Only 6.6% of Asian American/Pacific Islanders who use the Internet at a public library do not have access to the Internet from some other location.

In sum, the data in the report makes clear that schools and libraries are helping to equalize the disparities that would otherwise exist in computer and Internet use among various household income categories and racial groups. The success in expanding access in schools and libraries has not however, solved the problem of home access that is addressed in detail in the following section of the report.

The increase in access at schools and libraries is largely attributable to federal programs like the E-rate, the Technology Innovation Challenge Fund, and state, and local investments. A number of reports have touted the success of these programs. In 2000, the US Department of Education released a study, E-rate and the Digital Divide which reported, "the E-rate is having the intended effect of supporting the development of Internet and telecommunications services, especially in poor areas...the programs' objectives are being met as application rates, and overall total funding, are higher for higher-poverty districts, schools and libraries."

Identifying the Gaps: Income, Race, Geography & Disability

The DOC report celebrates the rapidly growing use of the new information technologies across all demographic groups and geographic regions. It is equally important to note that the data in the report also identifies a number of continuing gaps in access to and adoption of information tools.

The Income Gap: Rates of Adoption Rise More Slowly For Low-Income Users

Although computer and Internet use is rising for all Americans across income, large gaps remain between low-income and high-income consumers. For many, cost remains the most important reason not to acquire Internet access at home. Not surprisingly, as income levels drop, the importance of cost rises.

  View Chart: Percent of US Households with Internet Access by Income >>

Percent of US Households with Internet Access by Income

Seventy-five percent of people who live in households where income is less than $15,000 and 66% with incomes between $15,000 and $35,000 are not yet using the Internet. In contrast, 67.3% of Americans making $50,000-$75,000/year and 78.9% of people making over $75,000/year use the Internet.

Households with incomes below $15,000 report cost as the barrier to home Internet subscriptions 34.7% of the time. Among households in that income category, the share of the population with home Internet subscriptions increased by only 6% between August 2000 and September 2001. At the other end of the spectrum, only 9.6% of households with incomes of at least $75,000 said that they were deterred by cost. That income level saw a 34% increase in the share of households with home Internet between August 2000 and September 2001.

Children in Low-Income Households Have Significantly Less Access to the Internet

While computers in schools have been critical to narrowing the technology gap for low-income children, they remain significantly behind in Internet access. Nearly four times as many children (ages 10-17) go online only at school when they live in a household in the lowest income category (20.8%) than at the highest income level (5%). However, overall, school use still varies widely: 34.3% for children in the lowest income category, compared to 62.7% for children who live in the highest income households. Additionally, home Internet use is much higher for those who live in high-income households: 82.5% for children in families earning $75,000 and higher, compared to 21.4% for children in families earning $15,000 and below. For these reasons, overall Internet use among children has a wider differential by income than by computer use. Children in families at the lowest income level have an overall Internet use rate about half that of children at the highest income level: 45.7%, compared to 87.5%.

The Racial Gap: Blacks and Hispanics Trail Far Behind

In September 2001, computer use rates were highest for Asian American/Pacific Islanders (71.2%) and Whites (70%). Among Blacks, 55.7% were computer users. Less than half of Hispanics (48.8%) were computer users. During the same year, Internet use among Whites and Asian American/Pacific Islanders hovered around 68%, while Internet use rates for Blacks (30%) and Hispanics (32%) trailed behind.

There are also significant differences in online use among children of different races and ethnicities. School-only and home use rates are relatively lower for Hispanic and Black children, resulting in overall use rates of 47.8% and 52.3%, respectively. Asian American and Pacific Islander and White children, by contrast, are far more likely to use the Internet either at home only, or at home and school, resulting in higher overall Internet use levels of 79.4% and 79.7%, respectively.

The Gap is Even Greater for Spanish-Speaking Households

Internet use among Hispanics differs considerably depending on whether Spanish is the only language spoken in the household, which is the case for about one in nine of Hispanic households. In September 2001, only 14.1% of Hispanics who lived in households where Spanish was the only language spoken used the Internet. In contrast, 37.6% of Hispanics who lived in households where Spanish was not the only language spoken used the Internet.

Native Americans Have Little Access to Even Basic Communications Technology Although A Nation Online does not report on computer and Internet adoption by Native Americans, an earlier report13 funded by the Department of Commerce indicates how isolated these communities are. Only 39% of rural households in Native communities have telephones compared to 94% for non-Native rural communities. Approximately 26% of tribes report that they do not have 911 services. Forty four percent of tribes have no local radio stations, and for those tribes with radio stations, these stations are rarely tribally owned. Of rural Native households, only 22% have cable television, 9% have personal computers, and of those, only 8% have Internet access.

Differences in minority adoption of communications technology have been apparent since the Department of Commerce started tracking this data. At the very least, the findings indicate a clear need to continue monitoring adoption of information and communications technology. In addition, the disparities between adoption rates in different racial groups call for further research and investment in order to gain a better understanding as to why these differences persist.

The Disability Gap: People with Disabilities Are Online 50% Less than Population Average

People with disabilities tend to use computers and the Internet at rates far below that of the average population. On average, only 25.4% of the population ages 3 and above with at least one disability uses the Internet.14 It is important to note that although Internet use is lower overall among those with disabilities, those with vision or hearing impairments who access the Internet from outside the home do so at rates comparable to the general population. Of senior citizens (over age 60), 30% report having a disability-making them the most represented age group within the population reporting a disability and the least likely to have access to a computer at home or out of the home.15

The Regional and Rural Gaps: Southern and Southwestern States Trail Behind in Internet Access

Nationwide, 53.9 % of Americans use the Internet, but there are substantial regional gaps. While in 35 states, more than 50% of people use the Internet, there are 15 states where use is either at 50% or below. Twelve of the 15 states are located in the South and Southwest and are also states that are high percentage minority and rural populations.

Broadband Adoption is Slower in Rural Areas

High-speed Internet access is rapidly increasing in urban areas. In central city (22%) and urban (21.2%) Internet households, high-speed access increased 10% from 2000-2001. However, in rural areas access increased less than 5% from 7.3% in 2000 12.2 % in 2001. Not only do the rural regions remain behind, growth of high-speed access is not keeping pace with urban areas.

Workforce and Adoption of Technology:
Building the Skills to Advance in the 21st Century

Information and communication technologies are raising the bar on the competencies needed to succeed in the 21st century. While the data demonstrates that the white-collar workplace is increasingly technology rich, many currently employed in low-skill jobs will find it much harder to advance in the 21st century. To maintain our country's place in an increasingly competitive global economy, the federal government has an important role to play in ensuring that the US workforce is well trained and able to support the needs of employers in the 21st century.

As new and veteran members of the workforce attempt to keep up with an ever-evolving economy, they face two overlapping challenges. The first is to acquire the skills necessary to enter an increasingly digital job market, and the second is to continually improve these skills, and learn new ones, so they can enhance their opportunities throughout their working lifetime. There is a growing consensus that all workers should be able to 1) master appropriate tools to gather information, 2) understand the context of that information, 3) actively shape and distribute information in ways that make it understandable and useful and 4) exchange ideas, opinions, questions and experiences. Knowledge workers-people whose jobs require formal and advanced schooling-currently fill one in every three jobs and are likely to account for as much as 40% of the total workforce of developed countries by 2020.16

Blue Collar and Unskilled Workers Have Little Access and Few Opportunities to Develop Technology Skills

In 2001, 73.2% of employed people (age 16 and older) were computer users and 65.4% were Internet users.17 And although nearly 57% of adults use a computer at work (and ~74% of these use the Internet), computer use is concentrated in white-collar jobs. The proportion of people using a computer at work was 80.5% for people in managerial and professional specialty occupations and was 70.5% for people in technical, sales, and administrative support occupations. Employees in these fields are generally more educated, with a college degree or at least some college. At the other end of the spectrum, only about one in five persons used a computer at work in the occupation categories for operators, fabricators, and laborers as well as for farming, forestry, and fishing. In these professions, employees generally have just a high school diploma or GED.

Conclusion

Digital technologies provide many new and better ways to teach and learn, communicate and work. Gaps exist in Internet adoption in identifiable communities. Technology adoption is lagging in 15 states and the District of Columbia. In rural areas, Black and Hispanics, especially Spanish-speaking Hispanics, are lagging behind Asian Americans and Whites. Workers in low-skill jobs are not online because they don't use the tools at work and can't afford them at home.

This is not the time to scale back federal investment. Continued federal leadership is plainly needed to promote public and private collaborations to bring information age tools and training to the communities that can most benefit from them. The federal government can play an important role in supporting innovative strategies to achieve sustainability for technology programs that serve the public sector. To reach educational goals for our children, we must preserve and improve the E-Rate program. To train and retrain the 21st century workforce, we need programs that bring technology literacy to low-wage and unemployed workers. To ensure that today and tomorrow's information tools are deployed and used in rural areas, we need programs that provide the venture capital for demonstration programs, new applications and innovative public-private partnerships. Perhaps most of all, we need to continue to monitor the adoption of information and communication tools across income and education levels, in rural, urban and central city areas, and in various minority and age groups, so we can identify where gaps exist-and start closing them.