The determinants of Internet use controlling for income level: Cross-country empirical evidence

This paper seeks to explain the intensity of Internet use in terms of information and communication technology (ICT) and other socioeconomic indicators (i.e., economic, investment, international trade, educational, and population distribution) according to income. Using factor analysis, the three most important factors were extracted; their factors scores are used for further regression analysis to estimate impact on Internet usage. The strongest positive and most significant impact on Internet use was the ICT infrastructure and people capabilities, followed by income distribution, and investment and international trade. These results demonstrate that the size of the impact differs across income groups, as hypothesized.Internet users Information and communication technology Income level Investment in telecommunication High technology GINI