Rural Areas and the Internet

Released in February 2004, this 38-page report examines the use of the Internet by rural residents across the United States. Based primarily on survey data collected between March and August 2003, the report offers this key finding: Internet penetration has grown in rural USA communities, but the gap between these areas and suburban and urban communities has remained constant over time. Research conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project in each of the last 4 years (since 2000) has found that rural Internet penetration has remained roughly 10 percentage points behind the national average. The most recent data indicate that:

• 67% of urban USA residents use the Internet
• 66% of suburban residents use the Internet
• 52% of rural residents use the Internet

Apparently, rural Americans are older and less wealthy than those in other parts of the country; that pattern may account for some of the difference in Internet penetration between community types. Perhaps consistent with this finding, rural users were found to pursue many of the same online activities as urban and suburban users, but they are more likely to look for religious or spiritual information and less likely to engage in transactions (e.g., purchases). Furthermore, while 54% of rural whites go online, 31% of rural African-Americans do so. This disparity, according to the authors, can be traced to income and education: Over 70% of rural African-Americans live in households with incomes under US$30,000 a year, compared to 44% of rural whites.

In addition, many rural residents say they have less choice about the way they access the Internet. From 2000 to mid-2003:

• In urban communities, the number of home broadband users grew from 8% to 36% of the online population.
• In suburban communities, the number of home broadband users grew from 7% to 32% of the online population.
• In rural communities, the number of home broadband users grew from 3% to 19% of the online population.

The report indicates that rural users' online connections to various groups and virtual communities are more likely to stretch beyond immediate physicallyproximate communities.

Click here to access the full report in PDF format.