---
title: "Who’s not online? 5 factors tied to the digital divide"
description: "An explanation of five factors related to internet non-use."
date: "2013-11-08"
authors:
  - name: "Andrea Caumont"
    job_title: "Associate Director, Digital Outreach"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/andrea-caumont/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2013/11/08/whos-not-online-5-factors-tied-to-the-digital-divide/"
categories:
  - "Platforms & Services"
---

# Who’s not online? 5 factors tied to the digital divide

**Lee Rainie**, director of the Pew Research Center’s [Internet and American Life Project](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/), outlines five factors related to Internet non-use at [Washington Post Live's 2013 Bridging the Digital Divide forum](http://www.washingtonpost.com/posttv/business/technology/pew-15-percent-of-americans-dont-use-the-internet/2013/11/06/172a067c-4698-11e3-bf0c-cebf37c6f484_video.html). They are:

**1. Age:** If you're an older American you're much less likely to use the internet than a younger person: 44% of those over age 65 do not go online, versus 17% of those 50-64, 8% of those 30-49 and only 2% of those 18-29. Overall, adults ages 65 and older account for almost half (49%) of non-internet users by age group.

**2. Income and educational attainment:** If you have a college degree or live in a high income household, you're much more likely to use the internet. Only 4% of college graduates do not use the internet compared with 41% of those without a high school degree. And only 4% of those with a household income of $75,000 or more don't go online, versus 24% of those earning less than $30,000 per year.

**3. Community type:** If you live in a rural area (with limited broadband access) you're less likely to use the internet than an urban or suburban resident: 20% of rural residents are offline, compared with 14% of both urban and suburban residents.

**4. Disability:** The disabled are consistently less likely to use the internet: 46% of adults with a disability do not use the internet, according to a [2011 report](http://pewresearch.org/pewresearch-org/internet/Reports/2011/Disability.aspx).

**5. Spanish-speaking preference: **Those who prefer to take Pew Research Center surveys in Spanish are less likely than English speakers to be internet users. A survey earlier this year found that 29% of those who opt for Spanish telephone interviews are not internet users, compared with 14% of all adults. Overall, 24% of Hispanics are offline versus 14% of whites and 15% of blacks.

When asked why they do not use the internet, about a third of offline adults say the internet just isn’t relevant to their lives; another third cited “usability” issues such as their discomfort with computers and internet connections; a fifth cited price issues; and a smaller group cited lack of access.

[![](http://pewresearch.org/pewresearch-org/internet/Reports/2013/Non-internet-users/~/media/E85910F93C004BD0BE38957DB69A707C.jpg?w=479&h=573&as=1)](http://pewresearch.org/pewresearch-org/internet/Reports/2013/Non-internet-users/Summary-of-Findings.aspx)

Just 8% of offline adults say they would like to start using the internet or email in the future, while 92% say they are just not interested.

*Read Pew Internet's most recent report on non-internet users [Who's Not Online, and Why](http://pewresearch.org/pewresearch-org/internet/Reports/2013/Non-internet-users.aspx) (Sept. 25, 2013)*