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Computers and the Internet
Orange County residents are "wired," but no more so than a
year ago, and no more so than the rest of California. Today, 80 percent
of residents say they use a computer at least sometimes, compared to
77 percent last year. The same is true of Internet use: 71 percent say
they use the Internet at least sometimes, compared to 67 percent last
year.
A "Digital Divide" persists in Orange County: 85 percent of
non-Hispanic whites use computers and 78 percent use the Internet; the
same numbers for Latinos are 62 percent and 45 percent, respectively.
Asians by both measures are even more tech-savvy than either non-Hispanic
whites or Latinos. Furthermore, although our statewide survey shows
that the gap between non-Hispanic whites and Latinos statewide is shrinking,
the gap in Orange County remains the same as last year.
The wealthier and less ethnically-diverse South County differs from
the less affluent and more ethnically diverse North County in having
higher computer use (86% to 78%) and Internet use (82% to 67%).
Interestingly, 18 to 34 year olds are less likely than those between
the ages of 35 and 55 to use computers (82% to 88%) and the Internet
(74% to 79%) - perhaps a reflection of a large number of younger Latinos
- while those 55 and older are the least likely to use computers (67%)
and the Internet (58%).
Fewer Orange County residents use computers at home (67%) than use them
overall (80%), a difference that is unchanged from last year (64% vs.
77%). The digital divide between Latinos and non-Hispanic whites in
home computer use also remains unchanged from last year and stands at
36 percentage points in the current survey (37% to 73%).
Table:
Computers and the Internet
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