Minorities agree on Importance of Web.

According to new findings from a national survey of minority adults, conducted by Brilliant Corners Research and Pollster Cornell Belcher, only 42% of African Americans and Hispanics regularly use the Internet, yet they overwhelmingly agree that Internet access is critical to achieving success.

Belcher, principal author of the report, said “In this… survey we found that members in two of the country’s largest minority communities believe that Internet access is essential for many critical daily activities, including staying in touch with family, online education and research, job hunting and networking, and accessing information about health care, weather and traffic… ”

Members of African American and Hispanic communities believe in the value of high-speed broadband Internet, as opposed to outdated, slower dial-up service. In fact, nearly one-in-five respondents (18%) identified ‘speed of connection’ as the one thing they would change to make it easier to access the Internet – even more so than if Internet access were free (10%).

IIA Co-Chairman Bruce Mehlman notes that “… the top answer given by those polled for how to ‘make it easier to access the Internet’ was faster speed of connection… robust investments in infrastructure and effective network management… are essential for both access and adoption.”
 
For an open-ended question on ‘one thing you could change that would make you more likely to want to access the Internet,’ affordability ranked near the top of the list. This result points to the fact that many communities are price-sensitive and that costs of broadband access could hurt adoption if communities of color are deterred from capitalizing on the benefits of broadband.

IIA Co-Chairman David Sutphen concludes that ” It’s clear that digital literacy programs… are a crucial part of the formula for closing the digital divide… of those respondents who do not have Internet access… 43% cited not knowing how to use the Internet or not seeing the need for the Internet as the reason why they are not online… 44% of these respondents said they would be more likely to subscribe… if they were provided free lessons on how to use the technology… 30% would be more likely to adopt if they had more information about how they could benefit… ”

Poll respondents strongly agree on several Internet-enabled, life-changing benefits that make access so valuable. Key findings include:
• 64% of those polled strongly believe the Internet is important, because students with access can receive tutoring and help with their homework
• 43%% of respondents strongly agree that students with Internet access achieve higher grades
• 61% strongly feel households with Internet access have greater access to commerce, education, health care, entertainment and communication?
• 48% strongly agree that Internet is valuable, because tech-connected families receive more health information
• 62% strongly believe individuals with Internet access have more opportunities to work from home
• 68% respondents strongly agree that small business owners with Internet access are better able to reach and expand their customer base
• 51% strongly feel Internet access increases awareness and access to government services
 78% of the respondents said they accessed the Internet from home, and 68% said they access the Internet from a private portal, as opposed to a public portal, such as at anchor institutions like the library.

“It is clear that home Internet connections are critically important to expanding broadband access and adoption in communities of color,” said Sutphen.  “Policy makers would be wise to keep this reality in mind as they consider ways to continue closing the digital divide and ensure that all Americans can benefit from broadband.”

To additional charts CLICK above on ‘More Images’.

To view Mr. Belcher’s PPT presentation at the Internet Innovation Alliance’s biannual symposium CLICK on link below:
http://www.internetinnovation.org/activities/Broadband-Symposium/broadband-symposium-fall-2009/#ppt>