APHSA-ISM Annual Conference October 8, 2013 Aaron Smith, Senior Researcher Pew Research Center Technology adoption by lower income populations

About Pew Internet Part of the Pew Research Center, a non-partisan fact tank in Washington, DC Studies how people use digital technologies Does not promote specific technologies or make policy recommendations Research is primarily based on nationally representative telephone surveys

What do we mean by lower income? Based on reported annual household income Categories collected: <10k, 10-20k, 20-30k, 30-40k, 40-50k, 50-75k, k, k, and 150k+ Around 10-20% of respondents typically dont report (or dont know) income Limited ability to subdivide the lower- income population. But it tends to skew towards non-white; youth and seniors; low education; urban/rural

Before we get started Apologies for making you start your morning with charts… But you dont have to write anything down! Because you can find these slides at pewinternet.org/presentations

1) Internet Use and Home Broadband Adoption

National averages 85% of American adults are internet users 70% of American adults have some sort of high-speed home internet connection (DSL, cable, FIOS, etc) Which means that… 15% of Americans do not go online from any device/location (Group 1) 15% of Americans go online, but do not have broadband at home (Group 2)

Internet use & broadband by income 1 2

Age has a huge impact on which group people fall into

In plain English… Around 1/3 of people making <$20k per year are not online at all. Non-users are heavily dominated by older adults. Around 1/3 go online, but dont have broadband at home. So how is that group accessing online content?

Many of them turn to public institutions like libraries 32% of lower-income (<$30k per year) Americans have accessed the internet for free from somewhere other than home, school or work in last 12 months 81% of lower-income Americans say it is very important for the library to provide free access to the internet & computers 35% of lower-income library users have used the internet or a computer at a library in the last 12 months

2) But mobile devices are also playing a big role

Cell ownership > internet use

Smartphone or non-smart phone? Depends on your income…

…but especially your age Smartphone ownership by age/income grouping

Smartphone ownership over time

Impact of smartphones on broadband adoption

Biggest impact is among young and working-age lower income adults Broadband/smartphone adoption among HH income of <$30k per year

Almost everyone texts, apps track with smartphone ownership % of cell owners in each income group who…

Texting and apps by lower-income adults of different age groups Texting/apps use among cell owners with HH income of <$30k per year

Internet use on cell phones 45% of cell internet users in this income group go online mostly with their cell phone 39% 27% 30% % of cell owners in each income group who use the internet/ on their cell phone

Tablets – growing at the low end, but still largely an elite device Tablet ownership by income category

Summary Huge differences between young and old lower-income adults Cell phones are common for all income ranges, but smartphones are mainly a young/working age phenomenon Many lower-income adults (esp. younger ones) are using mobile devices as their primary gateway to online life

Resources 2013 Broadband update: Smartphone update: Ownership-2013.aspx Mobile topics page (running list of latest and greatest):

Aaron Smith Senior Researcher Pew Research Centers