Online Use @ Home Higher for Latinos.

Fewer Latinos use the Internet compared to non-Latinos, reports a new UCLA study on the use of the Internet by Latinos in the United States. However, Latinos who use the Internet spend slightly more time online than non-Latino users, and Latinos are online at home more often than non-Latinos.

The study, released July 31 by the UCLA Center for Communication Policy, also found that a much lower percentage of Latinos age 35 or older use the Internet compared to non-Latinos in the same age range. And, more Latino men than women use the Internet.

The study reports that for Latino and non-Latinos alike, concerns remain extremely high about online privacy and credit card information when buying online.

“We identified several key issues about the use of the Internet by Latinos that make strong statements about how the Internet is affecting the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population,” said Jeffrey I. Cole, director of the center, a unit in The Anderson School that is also affiliated with the UCLA College.

“Latinos express strong opinions about Internet access, trust of online information, their concerns about online privacy and credit card security,” Cole said.

UCLA Internet Project: Internet use by Latinos

The findings on Internet use by Latinos were developed from the UCLA Internet Project, the comprehensive, annual study conducted since 2000 by the UCLA Center for Communication Policy on the impact of online technology on America. Year Three of the UCLA Internet Report, was released Jan. 31. The full report on Year Three can be downloaded at http://www.ccp.ucla.edu/ .

This year, for the first time, the UCLA Internet Project analyzed the findings to explore responses to key questions by a specific social group: Internet users and non-users who identify themselves as Latino. The project developed data on key questions that focus on Internet use by Latinos, as well as opinions on issues including online privacy, the importance of the Internet for information and entertainment, and the reliability and accuracy of online information The UCLA Internet Project uses the definition of “Latino” created by the U.S. Census Bureau: all survey respondents who identify themselves as Spanish, Hispanic or Latino.

Interviews are conducted in either English or Spanish.

“Exploring the opinions of Latinos who are Internet users — as well as those who are non-users — is critical as we build our understanding of how the Internet affects the personal lives of all Americans,” Cole said.

Latinos and the Internet: Additional findings

Internet users by age

· Latinos in all age ranges use the Internet less than non-Latinos. Of Latinos age 34 or younger, 71 percent use the Internet, compared to 90 percent of non-Latinos.

· Of Latinos age 35 and older, less than half (46 percent) use the Internet, compared to almost two-thirds (64 percent) of non-Latinos.

Internet use by gender

· There is a gap in Internet use between Latino men and women. More than two-thirds of Latino men (68 percent) use the Internet, compared to slightly more than half of Latino women (51 percent).

· Of non-Latinos, 74 percent of men and 71 percent of women use the Internet.

Internet non-users: When will they go online?

· A large percentage of Latino non-users say they are likely to go online in the next year. More than 60 percent of Latinos who are not Internet users say they are likely to go online in the next year — this compared to 45 percent of non-Latino non-users.

The Internet: Importance as a source of information and entertainment

· Latinos use the Internet as sources of both information and entertainment. However, while very high percentages of Latinos consider the Internet to be an important source of information, considerably fewer say the Internet is important for entertainment.

· Three-quarters of Latino users say that the Internet is either a “very important” or “extremely important” source of information for them — this compared to 60 percent for non-Latinos.

· However, considerably fewer Latinos say the Internet is important for entertainment. Only about one-quarter (26 percent) of Latino users say the Internet is either a very important or extremely important source of entertainment — about the same as for non-Latinos.

Information on the Internet: How much is reliable and accurate?

· Latino Internet users are somewhat more trusting of the information they find online than are non-Latinos.

· Sixty-three percent of Latino Internet users say that “most or all” information online is reliable and accurate — this compared to 52 percent of non-Latinos who provided the same response.

· However, more than one-third (37 percent) of Latino Internet users say that “about half,” “a small portion,” or “none” of the information online is reliable and accurate — compared to 48 percent of non-Latinos with the same response.

Concerns about privacy when buying online

· Large numbers of Latino Internet users are extremely concerned about their privacy when or if they buy online.

· More than one-half of Latino Internet users (54 percent) are either “very concerned” or “extremely concerned” about their privacy when buying online.

· The percentage of Latino Internet users who are extremely concerned about their online privacy is nearly twic e as large as the number of non-Latinos with the same response (40 percent Latinos vs. 22 percent non-Latinos).

Concerns about credit card information when purchasing online

· Almost three-quarters of adult Latino Internet users (74 percent) are “very concerned” or “extremely concerned” about their credit card information when buying online.

· More adult Latino Internet users than adult non-Latino Internet users are extremely concerned about their credit card information (46 percent Latinos vs. 32 percent non-Latinos).

To view in PowerPoint CLICK below to download:

http://ccp.ucla.edu/pdf/UCLAfindings-Latino-Internet-Use.ppt