Explaining differences in access to home computers and the Internet: A comparison of Latino groups to other ethnic and racial groups

Abstract

A report by the U.S. Department of Commerce notes that Internet use among African-Americans and Latinos is growing at a substantially faster rate than Internet use among whites or Asians suggesting that the so-called "Digital Divide" may be disappearing. Using data from the Computer and Internet Use Supplement to the October 2003 Current Population Survey (CPS), I explore this hypothesis. I find large disparities in home computer and Internet access across major racial and detailed Latino groups that do not appear as though they will disappear soon. I also find that ethnic and racial disparities in home computer and Internet access rates are larger for children than for adults. The results are mixed for other measurable dimensions of the digital divide. Using regression models and special decomposition techniques, I find that differences in income and education explain part, but not all, of the ethnic and racial disparities in home computer and Internet access. Language is also found to be an important determinant of home computer and Internet access even after controlling for education, family income and immigrant status. Spanish-speaking Latinos have strikingly low rates of computer ownership and home Internet access. In contrast, concerns over privacy on the Internet do not appear to contribute substantially to racial disparities in home Internet access.