- Age appears to explain much of the variation in IT use, whereby younger consumers use more cellular, text messaging, high-speed Internet, e-mail, instant messaging and public Internet facilities. Twenty percent of households with children report the youngest cell phone subscriber to be 12 years of age, and 10 percent of the youngest cell phone users are of elementary school age.
- Internet-based telephone services have been used in 10 percent of U.S. households, with low-income households (22 percent of households earning less than $25,000), non-Caucasian and non-African American households (18 percent of Hispanic, Asian and other races), and younger households (18 percent aged 29 or under) among the major users.
- There is no significant link between IT services use and race.
- Rural consumers appear to use more dial-up services and less broadband services, compared to their urban counterparts. With this only exception, there are no significant differences between rural and urban IT service use.
Digital Divide Closing Says Study
Age explains most variations in IT use
A new study from the American Consumer Institute summarizes a nationwide survey of 1,000 heads of household, and identifies differences in the use of technology services between various demographic groups. The study finds:
