Hispanic Internet Use Outpaces Adoption Among Blacks, Whites

Internet use among Hispanics grew 10 percent between 2006 and 2008, far outpacing adoption rates among Blacks and Whites in the same period, according to a report issued this week by the Pew Hispanic Center.

During the same time period, growth for Blacks was only two percent, and was only four percent for Whites. The report notes that the growth spurt was fueled mainly by foreign-born Latinos, those with less than a high school education, and with household incomes of less than $30,000, who experienced large increases in internet use.

Despite this increase in usage, there are still clear gaps in usage between Whites and minorities. As has been reported with other demographic studies, higher levels of education and income translated to higher rates of Internet adoption and higher speed connections in the home: 88% of Latinos in households earning $50,000 or more annually and 86% for Latino college graduates had broadband access at home.

Still, Internet access in the home only grew about three percent overall among Hispanics, leading researchers to acknowledge the use of web-enabled devices, including cell phones, as a major source of access since 2006.

87 percent of Black online users reported that they accessed the Internet from home. Broadband use in the home for Blacks grew from 63 percent in 2006 to 78 percent in 2008, compared to a jump from 65 to 82 percent in broadband use for Whites.

Considering the large number of homes with caller ID and those using cell phones as their only phone line (which are generally not captured in traditional phone surveys), adoptions rates may be underestimated, the report notes. The information used to generate this report was compiled from a total of eight surveys covering more than 20,000 landline phone users ages 18 and over.

The Pew Hispanic Center is a project of the Pew Research Center, and supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts.