During the survey period, it was found that 86 percent of the population with a household income of less than 30,000 U.S. dollars per year were internet users. A further 98 percent of internet users belonged to households earning between 50,000 and 74,999 U.S. dollars per year.
Low-income households have lower rates of in-home Internet connectivity compared with higher-income groups. Connectivity rates are particularly low among HUD-assisted renter households, who are also more likely to depend exclusively on smartphones and other handheld devices to access the Internet in the home.
There is a strong correlation (0.87) between country wealth (as measured by per-capita gross domestic product on a purchasing power-adjusted basis) and internet access.
Research on digital inequality has shifted toward frameworks that consider multiple dimensions and levels, including social supports and other neighborhood-level factors. Low-income households have lower rates of in-home Internet connectivity compared with higher-income groups.
Relatively prosperous Americans have multiple internet and other devices, with higher ownership of cell phones (95%), desktop and laptop computers (79% each), mp3 players (70%), and game consoles (54%) relative to other income groups. 3
Those in higher-income households are more likely to use the internet on any given day, own multiple internet-ready devices, do things involving money online, and get news online. Those in higher-income households are different from other Americans in their tech ownership and use. Analysis of several recent surveys conducted by ...
Even among those who use the internet, the well off are more likely than those with less income to use technology. Of those 95% of higher-income internet users: 99% use the internet at home, compared with 93% of the internet users in lower brackets. 93% of higher-income home internet users have some type of broadband connection versus 85% ...
Because HUD-assisted households have low connectivity rates, limited device access, and other specific barriers to Internet access, HUD-assisted housing offers a promising platform to significantly increase digital inclusion rates and improve residents’ quality of life.
Finally, 31 percent of households have no Internet access at home. 53. Device Trends. Another dimension of digital inequality focuses on access to Internet-enabled devices at home, as households can only take full advantage of Internet access if they have devices that enable them to effectively connect to the Internet and its content.
High-speed Internet indicates that a household has Internet service other than dial-up. 2 Includes households that own or use a desktop, laptop, netbook, or notebook computer at their home. 3 Includes households that own or use only a handheld computer, smart mobile phone, or other handheld wireless computer at their home.
Other reasons cited for lacking in-home Internet access were the ability to use the Internet away from home , lack of interest in using the Internet, being uncomfortable with using computers or the Internet, having difficulty obtaining service, and living in housing that is not wired for service.
However, in several other large emerging economies, such as India, Nigeria and South Africa, fewer than six-in-ten Millennials have access to the internet.
Still, many people in the Middle East have internet access, including 86% in Israel, 72% in the Palestinian territories and 67% in Jordan. In Latin America, a median of 64% have access to the internet, with the highest rates in Chile (78%) and Argentina (71%) and the lowest rates in Mexico (54%) and Peru (52%).
Once online, people around the world are frequent internet users. And while daily use is more common within advanced economies, a majority of internet users in 34 of the 40 countries surveyed say they use the internet at least once a day.
Overall, internet rates are lower in poorer countries, concentrated mostly in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia, including 39% in Nigeria, 30% in Indonesia and 22% in India. The lowest access rates are found in some of the poorest countries surveyed, such as Burkina Faso (18%), Pakistan (15%), Uganda (11%) and Ethiopia (8%).
For example, GDP per capita in South Korea is about $20,000 less, in adjusted terms, than GDP per capita in the U.S.; yet more South Koreans have access to the internet compared with Americans. In other words, as the internet becomes more ubiquitous worldwide, national wealth may no longer be the major driving force behind access.
The largest gap among all countries surveyed occurs in Nigeria, where 48% of men say they use the internet versus only 29% of women. Double-digit gender gaps also appear in Kenya, Ghana, Vietnam, Tanzania, Pakistan, the Palestinian territories, Japan, Burkina Faso, India and Uganda.
Poorer nations, such as those in South and Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, have much lower internet rates compared with richer developing countries in Latin America and the Middle East, as well as rich nations in Europe, North America and East Asia and the Pacific.