The United States digital divide: Race, SES, and social context as predictors of computer ownership, 1997--2001.

My study investigates differences in computer ownership levels between the four major racial/ethnic groups in the United States. This study improves on previous studies in three major ways. First, conceptually I frame the digital divide within social stratification theory; an appropriate starting point from which to understand diffusion of innovation theory (DoI). Diffusion of innovation theory serves to explain the process of how an innovation is adopted, but does not explain how certain groups become privileged enough to be early adopters. By framing DoI within an understanding of social inequality and social stratification processes, this study advances a better understanding of why we see the digital divide as it exists between the four major racial groups in the United States. Second, I argue for and expand the idea of social context as it may affect computer ownership. Third, I make use of the four most recent cross-sections of Current Population Survey data that contain information on computer ownership. Using logistic regression models to estimate computer ownership at the household level, I find that even after controlling for the demographic, household composition, and socioeconomic factors, the gap between Black and Hispanic households in relation to White households remains significant. For Asian households, the racial effect can be explained by the variables in the models, but this is not the case for Black or Hispanic households. I also find a significant interaction between the presence of immigrants and race of household, demonstrating that Black immigrant and Asian immigrant households are much more likely to own computers than their similarly situated non-immigrant counterparts. Furthermore, I find no evidence suggesting that computer adoption is occurring at a faster or slower rate for Black or Hispanic households in relation to White or Asian households. Finally, I find some evidence of a social context effect, especially for Asian households. Limitation of study, policy implications, and recommendations for future research are also discussed.Ph.D.Ethnic studiesSocial SciencesUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/124547/2/3150077.pd