Researchers map digital exclusion in Los Angeles County

Researchers at the University of Southern California have mapped digital exclusion in the Los Angeles County, showing where the digital divide persists in the area. The new policy brief is a result of collaboration between USC Annenberg Research Network for International Communication and the USC Price Spatial Analysis Lab, and relies on 2015 American Community Survey data. The study shows that, while broadband services are available to 99.5 percent of county residents, adoption rates vary by income and other demographics.

The study finds that the least connected communities are located in South Los Angeles, which are characterized by high poverty, limited human capital, and high concentration of people with disabilities. “Lack of Internet access is both a result and a contributing factor to the poverty cycle that limits opportunities for social mobility in these communities,” the authors wrote.

“The Internet is the lifeblood of social inclusion in the 21st century,” the authors wrote. “It is a gateway to better education, to job opportunities, to health resources, and to civic engagement, among many other potential benefits of being online. These benefits, however, remain unevenly distributed. Despite decades of efforts to close the digital divide, large disparities in Internet access persist between populations defined by income, education, race and place of residency.”

See the maps below and read the full brief here.

Links:

Mapping digital exclusion in Los Angeles County (USC Annenberg, July 28, 2017)

Policy brief: Mapping digital exclusion in Los Angeles County (USC Annenberg, July 2017)