Rural Americans have made large gains in adopting digital technology over the past decade, but they generally remain less likely than urban or suburban adults to have home broadband or own a smartphone.
Even as many aspects of the digital divide in the U.S. have narrowed, the digital lives of lower- and higher-income Americans remain markedly different.
Internet non-adoption is linked to certain demographic variables, including age, educational attainment, household income and community type.
Some 15% of U.S. households with school-age children do not have a high-speed internet connection at home. Some teens are more likely to face digital hurdles when trying to complete their homework.
Most in the region feel positively about the role the internet plays in their countries, but long-standing digital divides between internet haves and have-nots persist.
Fast, reliable internet service has become broadly essential. But 24% of rural U.S. adults say access to high-speed internet is a major problem in their community.
Test your ability to classify 10 news statements as either factual or opinion.
The politically aware, digitally savvy and those more trusting of the news media fare better in differentiating factual statements from opinions.
At the same time, the contours of connectivity are shifting: One-in-five Americans (20%) are now ‘smartphone only’ internet users at home.
People in 38 countries were asked how often they use the internet – as well as how often they use social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and other sites – to get news.
