Hispanic Communities Falling Behind in the Digital Divide

With broadband adoption and use on the rise, millions of previously underserved Americans are connecting to the web each year. Yet, even with this growth, Hispanic populations still lag far behind other cohorts in adopting broadband technology.

According to a Pew Hispanic Center report, home broadband access in Latino households is significantly lower than for either white or black populations:

"There is a large gap between Latinos (45%) and whites (65%), and the rate among blacks (52%) is somewhat higher than that of Latinos."

This divide can also be seen clearly along language lines. While Spanish-language dominant households often lack connectivity, English-speaking Hispanics connect at much higher rates. The Pew study explains:

"Latinos who are Spanish-dominant are the least likely to have a home broadband connection — just one-fourth (26%) do. In comparison, two-thirds (66%) of English-dominant Latinos and 52% of bilingual Latinos report a home broadband connection."

However, these discrepancies are largely a result of differences in education and income. Hispanics, on average, earn less than whites and lag behind in levels of education. Controlling for these demographic barriers, Hispanic rates of web-adoption would be on par with other populations.

For Hispanic communities to become a part of the online conversation, broadband opportunities for low-income households need to be increased across the board.

Latinos and Digital Technology, 2010 (Pew Hispanic Center)