Thursday, August 21, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Many Americans don't have access to Internet service

Of all the world's population, only 6 percent are online, according to a 2001 Internet trends report from Nielsen/NetRatings.

And 41 percent of those are either in the United States or Canada.

But not all Americans are digitally connected. Only 51 percent of U.S. homes had a computer in fall 2000, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. And only 41.5 percent of U.S. homes had Internet access.

A federal report released in 2000, Falling Through the Net, suggests there's a racial component to U.S. computer access.

White and Asian families had Internet access at more than twice the level of black and Hispanic households. For example, 56.8 percent of Asian homes and 46.1 percent of white homes were connected to the Internet, versus 23.5 percent of black homes and 23.6 percent of Hispanic homes.

The income differential in access is clear. Among those with an annual income of $75,000 or more, 86.3 percent were connected to the Internet. Among households with annual incomes of $15,000 or less, Internet access dropped to 12.7 percent.

The education differential is clear, too. Among college graduates, almost 65 percent are connected at home to the Internet, compared to 11.7 percent of homes headed by a person who didn't complete high school.

People living in urban areas have the most access (42.3 percent), followed by people in rural areas (38.9 percent). People in inner-city areas (37.7 percent) had the least, according to the report.

But "unconnected" people find computer access at locations outside the home, the report continues. Of those without home Internet access, 62.7 percent go online at work, 18.9 percent at schools, excluding colleges, 9.6 percent at libraries and .5 percent at community centers. Another 13.8 percent borrow another person's computer.