Broadband Data Quality: Issues for random digit dial surveys Progress & Freedom Foundation and Center for Public Integrity workshop John B. Horrigan Associate Director for Research
June Broadband penetration in the U.S.,
June How does broadband adoption rate stack up? To reach 50% to consumer adoption it took: –18 years for color TV –15 years for the cell phone –14 years for the VCR –10 ½ years for the CD player Broadband should hit 50% by 9-10 year mark. Happy dial-up users? –Some 60% of dial-up users say they don’t want broadband, a figure that held constant from
June Speed matters – narrow vs. broadband –Home high-speed connection is key differentiator in explaining internet usage patterns Do more things online on the typical day than dial-up users Spend more time online than dial-up users –Generally higher levels of internet impacts in: –Maintaining social networks –Getting information (e.g. civic engagement, news gathering) –Helping in major life decisions
June Does more speed matter? Hard to rely on self-reports from users on network speed Asked home high-speed users whether they know their connection speed… –17% said yes –81% didn’t know
June Challenges Measuring network speed & quality Knowing network availability Cell phone only users: –General problem for survey research –Looms larger & sooner for surveys on tech usage