New Pew Internet Study: Home Broadband 2010

On August 11, as part of the Pew Internet and American Life Project, the Pew Research Center published a new study titled Home Broadband 2010. According to the report, findings are based on data from telephone interviews conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International between April 29 and May 30, 2010, among a sample of 2,252 adults ages 18 and older, including 744 reached on a cell phone. Interviews were conducted in English.

Here’s some report highlights:

• Two-thirds of American adults (66%) now have a broadband internet connection at home, a figure that is little changed from the 63% with a high-speed home connection at a similar point in 2009.
• Most demographic groups experienced flat-to-modest broadband adoption growth over the last year. The notable exception to this trend came among African-Americans, who experienced 22% year-over-year broadband adoption growth.
• In 2009 65% of whites and 46% of African-Americans were broadband users (a 19-point gap)
• In 2010 67% of whites and 56% of African-Americans are broadband users (an 11-point gap)
• By a 53%-41% margin, Americans say they do not believe that the spread of affordable broadband should be a major government priority.
• Non-internet users are less likely than current users to say the government should place a high priority on the spread of high-speed connections.
• A fifth of American adults (21%) do not use the internet. Many non-users think online content is not relevant to their lives and they are not confident they could use computers and navigate the web on their own.

This Pew report is concise, packed with good information and easy to read. You can download a PDF version here.