Latinos own smartphones, go online from a mobile device and use social networking sites at similar—and sometimes higher—rates than do other groups of Americans, according to a new analysis of three surveys by the Pew Research Center.

The analysis also finds that when it comes to using the internet,¹ the digital divide between Latinos and whites is smaller than what it had been just a few years ago. Between 2009 and 2012, the share of Latino adults who say they go online at least occasionally increased 14 percentage points, rising from 64% to 78%.² Among whites, internet use rates also increased, but only by half as much—from 80% in 2009 to 87% in 2012.

Over the same period, the gap in cellphone ownership between Latinos and other groups either diminished or disappeared. In 2012, 86% of Latinos said they owned a cellphone, up from 76% in 2009.

Among the biggest drivers of these increases are spikes in technology adoption among foreign-born Latinos and Spanish-dominant Latinos, the surveys found. Both groups’ rates of going online and cellphone ownership increased sharply since 2009, helping to reduce the digital divide between Latinos and whites—and also reducing gaps within the Latino community itself.

Technology Adoption and Going Online

When it comes to owning a smartphone, going online from a mobile device and using social networking sites, Latinos are just as connected as other Americans. According to the Pew Research analysis:

• Cellphone ownership: Fully 86% of Latinos say they own a cellphone, a share similar to that of whites (84%) and blacks (90%).
• Smartphone Ownership: Among adults, Latinos are just as likely as whites or blacks to own a smartphone—49% versus 46% and 50% respectively.
• Going Online from a Mobile Device: Latino internet users are more likely than white internet users to say they go online using a mobile device—76% versus 60%. Meanwhile, Latino and black internet users are equally likely to access the internet from a mobile device—76% and 73% respectively.³
• Social Networking Site Use: Among internet users, similar shares of Latinos (68%), whites (66%) and blacks (69%) say they use social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook at least occasionally.

While Latinos use mobile and social networking technologies at rates similar to those of other groups, they lag whites when it comes to owning a desktop or laptop computer or accessing the internet (with or without a mobile device). According to the Pew Research analysis:

• Computer Ownership: Some 72% of Latinos say they own a desktop or laptop computer, compared with 83% of whites.  Among blacks, 70% are computer owners.
• Internet Use: Nearly eight-in-ten (78%) Latino adults go online at least occasionally, compared with 87% of whites and 78% of blacks.

Demographics and Patterns of Adoption

Among Latinos, among whites and among blacks, three key demographic characteristics are correlated with technology adoption. Young people ages 18 to 29 have higher adoption rates than those ages 65 and older. Levels of educational attainment are also linked to adoption rates–those with some college experience have higher technology adoption rates than those with less than a high school diploma. And annual family income is correlated with technology adoption–those with higher incomes also have higher adoption rates than those with lower incomes.

For example, smartphone ownership is correlated with age among Latinos and among whites.⁴ Among Latinos, 66% of those ages 18 to 29 say they own a smartphone while just 14% of those ages 65 and older say the same. Among whites, two-third (66%) of young people ages 18 to 29 own a smartphone while 17% of those ages 65 and older say they own one.⁵

This report is based on three Pew Research Center surveys. The first survey is the Pew Hispanic Center’s 2012 National Survey of Latinos (NSL). The 2012 NSL is a nationally representative bilingual telephone survey of 1,765 Latino adults with a margin of error of 3.2 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. The survey was fielded from Sept. 7 to Oct. 4, 2012. For a full description of the 2012 NSL’s survey methodology, see Appendix B.

The second survey is the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press’ nationally representative Biennial Media Consumption Survey (2012b) of 3,003 adults conducted between May 9 and June 3, 2012. The margin of error for the full sample is plus or minus 2.1 percentage points at the 95% confidence interval. The third survey is the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project 2012 Health Tracking Survey (Fox and Duggan, 2013). It is a nationally representative sample of 3,014 adults with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.4 percentage points at the 95% confidence interval.

Other key findings include:

Going Online

• Nearly all Hispanics from families with annual incomes of $50,000 or more (95%), Hispanics from families with annual incomes between $30,000 and $50,000 (93%) and Hispanics ages 18 to 29 (93%) say they go online at least occasionally.
• Just one-third (33%) of Latinos ages 65 and older say they use the internet at least occasionally.
• Half (50%) of Hispanic internet users are native born and half are foreign born. By contrast, among Hispanics who do not use the internet, just 21% are native born while 79% are foreign born.
• Among Latino internet users, 72% are either English dominant (31%) or bilingual (41%), and 28% are Spanish dominant. By contrast, among Latino non-internet users, fewer than half (42%) are either English dominant (13%) or bilingual (29%), while 58% are Spanish dominant.

Going Online through a Mobile Device

• Nearly nine-in-ten (87%) Latino internet users ages 18 to 29 and Latino internet users from families with annual incomes of $50,000 or more say they access the internet through a mobile device at least occasionally.
• Among Hispanic internet users ages 65 and older, just 29% say they access the internet through a mobile device.

Cellphone Ownership

• Cellphone ownership rates are highest among Latinos from families with annual incomes above $50,000 (97%) , Latinos ages 18 to 29 (96%) and Latinos from families with annual incomes between $30,000 and $50,000 (95%).
• Cellphone ownership rates are lowest among Spanish-dominant Hispanics (78%), Hispanics with less than a high school diploma (77%) and Hispanics ages 65 and older (56%).
• Among Latinos who do not own cellphones, 76% are foreign born and 24% are native born. In addition, nearly six-in-ten (57%) are Spanish dominant, 30% are bilingual and 13% are English dominant.

Smartphone Ownership

• The highest smartphone ownership rates are among Hispanics from families with annual incomes of $50,000 or more (76%).
• Smartphone ownership rates are lowest among Hispanics ages 65 and older (14%).
• Most Latino smartphone owners are native born (54%). By contrast, most Latinos who do not own a smartphone are foreign born (58%).

Computer Ownership

• Fully 95% of Latinos from families with annual incomes of $50,000 or more own a desktop or laptop computer—the highest ownership rate among Latinos. By contrast, just 35% of Latinos ages 65 and older own a desktop or laptop computer.
• Half (50%) of Hispanic computer owners are foreign born. By comparison, 73% of Hispanics who do not own a computer are foreign born.

Using Social Networking Sites

• Fully 84% of Latino internet users ages 18 to 29 say they use social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, the highest rate among Latinos.
• Just 27% of Hispanic internet users ages 65 and older say they use social networking sites.
• Some 54% of Latinos who use social media are U.S. born. By contrast, foreign-born Latinos make up the majority (57%) of Latino internet users who do not use social media.
• Among Latinos who use social networking sites, 60% say they do so mostly or only in English, 29% say they do so mostly or only in Spanish and 11% say they use both English and Spanish equally.

Among native-born Latinos who use social networking sites, 86% do so mostly or only in English. By contrast, among immigrant Latinos who use social networking sites, more than half (55%) do so mostly or only in Spanish.

About this Report

This report explores social media, digital technology and mobile technology use among Latinos, whites and blacks in 2012. The data used in this report are derived primarily from the Pew Hispanic Center’s 2012 National Survey of Latinos (NSL), which was conducted from Sept. 7 through Oct. 4, 2012, in all 50 states and the District of Columbia among a randomly selected, nationally representative sample of 1,765 Latino adults. The survey was conducted in both English and Spanish on cellular as well as landline telephones. The margin of error for the full sample is plus or minus 3.2 percentage points. Interviews were conducted for the Pew Hispanic Center by Social Science Research Solutions (SSRS).

The report also utilizes data from the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press’ Biennial Media Consumption Survey (2012b), which was conducted between May 9 and June 3, 2012, among a nationally representative sample of 3,003 adults, including 2,202 whites and 281 blacks. It also utilizes data from the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project’s Health Tracking Survey (Fox and Duggan, 2013), which was conducted between Aug. 7 and Sept. 6, 2012, among a nationally representative sample of 3,014 adults, including 1,864 whites and 497 blacks.

This report was written by Associate Director Mark Hugo Lopez, Research Associate Ana Gonzalez-Barrera and Research Assistant Eileen Patten. Paul Taylor, Scott Keeter, Leah Christian, Michael Dimock, Gretchen Livingston, Lee Rainie and Aaron Smith provided editorial guidance. The author thanks Taylor, Keeter, Christian, Livingston, Patten, Rakesh Kochhar, Rich Morin, Seth Motel, Kim Parker and Antonio Rodriguez for guidance on the development of the survey instrument. Motel also provided research assistance. Livingston and Patten number-checked the report. Molly Rohal was the copy editor.

A Note on Terminology

The terms “Latino” and “Hispanic” are used interchangeably in this report.

The terms “whites” and “blacks” are used to refer to the non-Hispanic components of their populations.

“Native born” or “U.S. born” refers to persons born in the United States and those born in other countries to parents at least one of whom was a U.S. citizen.

“Foreign born” refers to persons born outside of the United States to parents neither of whom was a U.S. citizen. Foreign born also refers to those born in Puerto Rico. Although individuals born in Puerto Rico are U.S. citizens by birth, they are included among the foreign born because they are born into a Spanish-dominant culture and because on many points their attitudes, views and beliefs are much closer to Hispanics born abroad than to Hispanics born in the 50 states or the District of Columbia.

Language dominance is a composite measure based on self-described assessments of speaking and reading abilities. “Spanish-dominant” persons are more proficient in Spanish than in English, i.e., they speak and read Spanish “very well” or “pretty well” but rate their ability to speak and read English lower. “Bilingual” refers to persons who are proficient in both English and Spanish. “English-dominant” persons are more proficient in English than in Spanish.

Latinos are less likely than whites to access the internet, have a home broadband connection or own a cell phone, according to survey findings from the Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the Pew Research Center. Latinos lag behind blacks in home broadband access but have similar rates of internet and cell phone use.¹

While about two-thirds of Latino (65%) and black (66%) adults went online in 2010, more than three-fourths (77%) of white adults did so. In terms of broadband use at home, there is a large gap between Latinos (45%) and whites (65%), and the rate among blacks (52%) is somewhat higher than that of Latinos. Fully 85% of whites owned a cell phone in 2010, compared with 76% of Latinos and 79% of blacks.²

Hispanics, on average, have lower levels of education and earn less than whites. Controlling for these factors, the differences in internet use, home broadband access and cell phone use between Hispanics and whites disappear. In other words, Hispanics and whites who have similar socioeconomic characteristics have similar usage patterns for these technologies.

Hispanics, on average, are also younger than whites. However, even within each age group, Hispanics show lower levels of technology use than do whites.

Survey questions also probed for the use of non-voice applications on cell phones. Respondents were asked specifically about whether they access the internet and whether they use email, texting or instant messaging from a cell phone. The findings reveal a mixed pattern of non-voice cell phone application use across ethnic and racial groups. Hispanics are less likely than whites to use any non-voice applications on a cell phone (58% vs. 64%), and they are also less likely than whites to send or receive text messages (55% vs. 61%). However, Hispanics and whites are equally likely to access the internet and send or receive email from a cell phone. And Hispanics are more likely than whites to engage in instant messaging (34% vs. 20%). Compared with blacks, Hispanics are less likely to access the internet (31% vs. 41%) or send or receive email (27% vs. 33%) from a cell phone, but rates of texting and instant messaging are similar for the two groups.

Though they are no more likely than whites to access the internet from a cell phone, Hispanics are more likely to do so in lieu of a home internet connection. Some 6% of Latinos report that they access the internet from a cell phone but have no internet access at home. This rate is the same for blacks, but notably higher than the rate for whites (1%). While controlling for educational attainment and income erases ethnic differences in internet use, broadband access and cell phone ownership, this is not entirely the case when it comes to the ethnic difference in dependency upon a cell phone for internet access. Controlling for income and education erases the differences for the highly educated and most affluent, but differences still persist for those with no college experience, and those earning less than $50,000 annually.

This report is based on two national surveys. The first, the Pew Hispanic Center’s 2010 National Survey of Latinos is a nationally representative bilingual telephone survey of 1,375 adults ages 18 and older. Interviews were conducted from August 17 through September 19, 2010. The margin of error for the full sample is plus or minus 3.3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. The second, the Pew Internet and American Life Project’s August 2010 Health Tracking Survey is a national representative telephone survey of 3,001 adults, conducted from August 9 through September 13, 2010. The margin of error for the full sample is plus or minus 2.5 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. For a full description of the methodology of both surveys, see Appendix A.

Other key findings include:

Ethnicity

• Latinos are significantly less likely than whites to have a home internet connection (55% vs. 75%); this difference persists even if the sample is limited to internet users (85% vs. 96%). The likelihood of having a home internet connection among blacks (58%) does not differ from that of Hispanics.
• Among internet users, Hispanics are less likely to have a home broadband connection (69%) than are whites (84%) or blacks (78%).
• Among cell phone owners, Hispanics are as likely as whites or blacks to utilize at least one of the four non-voice cell phone applications—more than three-fourths (77%) of Hispanics do so while 75% of whites and 79% of blacks do the same.
• However, Hispanic cell phone owners are more likely than white cell phone owners to access the internet (40% vs. 34%), email (36% vs. 31%), or instant message (45% vs. 24%) from their cell phone. Meanwhile, Hispanic cell phone owners are less likely than black cell phone owners to access the internet from their cell phone (40% vs. 51%).

Nativity

• Native-born Latinos are more likely than foreign-born Latinos to be online (81% vs. 54%); to have a home internet connection (71% vs. 45%); to have a home broadband connection (60% vs. 35%); and to own a cell phone (86% vs. 70%).
• From 2009 to 2010, cell phone ownership among the native born increased six percentage points (from 80% to 86%). This increase was driven primarily by increased cell phone ownership among Latinos who are the children of immigrants, or the so-called second generation (from 79% to 88%).
• The native born are more likely than the foreign born to use non-voice applications on a cell phone—74% vs. 48%.

Language

• Spanish-dominant Hispanics trail bilingual and English-dominant Hispanics in internet use, home internet access, home broadband access and cell phone ownership.
  • Some 47% of Spanish-dominant Latinos use the internet, compared with 74% of bilingual Latinos and 81% of English-dominant Latinos.
  • Some 37% of Spanish-dominant Latinos have a home internet connection, compared with 61% of bilingual Latinos and 77% of English-dominant Latinos.
  • About one-fourth (26%) of Spanish-dominant Latinos have home broadband access, compared with about half (52%) of bilingual Latinos, and two-thirds (66%) of English-dominant Latinos.
  • Some 68% of Spanish-dominant Hispanics have a cell phone, compared with 78% of bilingual Hispanics and 86% of English-dominant Hispanics.
• While the overall internet usage rate among Spanish-dominant Latinos remains low, the share using the internet has increased rapidly—from 36% in 2009 to 47% in 2010.
• More than three-fourths (76%) of English-dominant Latinos use cell phones for something other than traditional calls, while 62% of bilingual Latinos and 44% of Spanish-dominant Latinos report as much.

Age

• Among Latinos, internet use, home internet use, home broadband access, and cell phone ownership are less prevalent at older ages.
• From 2009 to 2010, the share of Latinos ages 18 to 29 who were online jumped from 75% to 85%, and the share with cell phones rose from 81% to 90%.
• The likelihood of using any type of non-voice cell phone application declines with age for Latinos.

Education and Income

• Among Hispanics, higher levels of educational attainment and household income are linked to higher rates of internet use, home internet access, having a home broadband connection, and cell phone ownership.
• The same is true when looking at non-voice cell phone applications—Hispanics with more education and more income are generally more likely to use these mobile applications.

Place of Residence

• Rates of internet use, home internet access and broadband access are similar for Latinos living in urban, suburban and rural areas.
• Cell phone ownership is significantly less prevalent in suburban areas than in urban or rural areas.

When it comes to socializing and communicating with friends, young Latinos (ages 16 to 25) make extensive use of mobile technology. Half say they text message (50%) their friends daily, and 45% say they talk daily with friends on a cell phone. Other communication platforms are less widely used for socializing. For example, fewer than one-in-five young Latinos (18%) say they talk daily with their friends on a landline or home phone, and just 10% say they email their friends daily. These findings are based on a new analysis of data from a nationwide telephone survey of Latinos conducted by the Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the Pew Research Center.

Use of mobile communication technologies differs notably among young Latinos by nativity. Two-thirds (65%) of the native born say they communicate with their friends by text message daily, while just 26% of the foreign born do so. And more than half (55%) of the native born talk daily by cell phone with their friends, while just 29% of the foreign born say they do the same.

These differences are explained in part by the fact that the native born are more likely than the foreign born to have a cell phone in the first place. Overall, eight-in-ten (79%) young Latinos say they use a cell phone, with use greater among the native born than the foreign born—84% versus 70% (Livingston, 2010).

Even though text messaging and cell phone calls are the most widely used mediums of social communication among young Latinos, they use these platforms less extensively than do their non-Latino counterparts. Among 16- and 17-year-olds,¹ just under half (49%) of Hispanics text daily, compared with 64% of non-Hispanics. When it comes to talking with friends daily via cell phone, there is less of a difference—44% of Hispanics say they do, compared with half (51%) of non-Hispanics who say the same.

Hispanics are the nation’s largest and youngest minority ethnic group. In 2008, there were 46.9 million Hispanics in the U.S., representing 15.4% of the total U.S. population. Among young people, Hispanics represent an even larger share. Some 18%, or 7.5 million, of those ages 16 to 25 are Hispanic (Pew Hispanic Center, 2010).

Other key findings:

• Language: While 68% of English-dominant and half (50%) of bilingual young Latinos use text messaging daily for communication, just 19% of Spanish-dominant young Latinos do the same.
• Gender: Young Hispanic males are less likely than young Hispanic females to use social networking sites for communication—19% versus 27%. In contrast, young female Hispanics are less likely than young Hispanic males to communicate face-to-face outside school or work with their friends—15% versus 26%.
• Hispanic Youths vs. Hispanic Adults: Hispanics ages 16 to 25 are more likely than Hispanics ages 26 and older to use mobile technologies to communicate with their friends. While half (50%) of young Latinos use texting to communicate, just 21% of older Latinos do the same.
• Latino Youths vs. Other Youths: Among those ages 16 to 17, Latino youths are less likely than non-Latino youths to communicate daily via a landline or home phone with their friends—13% versus 32%.

About this Report

The 2009 National Survey of Latinos (NSL) focused on the attitudes, behaviors, experiences, and identities of young Latinos. It was conducted from August 5 through September 16, 2009, among a randomly selected, nationally representative sample of 2,012 Hispanics ages 16 and older, with an oversample of 1,240 Hispanics ages 16 to 25. The survey was conducted in both English and Spanish, on cellular as well as landline telephones. The margin of error for the full sample is plus or minus 3.7 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. The margin of error for respondents ages 16 to 25 is plus or minus 4.6 percentage points, and the margin of error for respondents ages 26 and older is plus or minus 4.8 percentage points. For a full description of the survey methodology, see Appendix A.

Interviews were conducted for the Pew Hispanic Center by Social Science Research Solutions (SSRS).

This is the last of three reports about young Latinos based on the 2009 NSL. The first report explored the educational attitudes and expectations of young Latinos (Lopez, 2009). The second explored the attitudes, behaviors, identities, and demographics of Latino youths (Pew Hispanic Center, 2009).

A Note on Terminology

The terms “Latino” and “Hispanic” are used interchangeably in this report.

The term “youths” refers to 16- to 25-year-olds unless otherwise indicated. In this report, the terms “Latino youths” and “young Latinos” are used interchangeably, as are “Hispanic youths” and “young Hispanics.”

“Foreign born” refers to persons born in Puerto Rico or outside of the United States. Although individuals born in Puerto Rico are U.S. citizens by birth, they are included among the foreign born because they are born into a Spanish-dominant culture and because on many points their attitudes, views and beliefs are much closer to Hispanics born abroad than to Latinos born in the 50 states or the District of Columbia.

“Native born” or “U.S. born” refers to persons born in the United States and those born abroad to parents at least one of whom was a U.S. citizen.

Language dominance is a composite measure based on self-described assessments of speaking and reading abilities. Spanish-dominant persons are more proficient in Spanish than in English, i.e., they speak and read Spanish “very well” or “pretty well” but rate their English speaking and reading ability lower. Bilingual refers to persons who are proficient in both English and Spanish. English-dominant persons are more proficient in English than in Spanish.

Latinos are the largest minority group and largest immigrant group in the United States. Overall, they comprise 15.4% of the total U.S. population. Among Latinos ages 16 and older, 56% are foreign born and 44% were born in the U.S.²

While rates of technology use among native-born Hispanics are relatively high, technology use for the full population of Hispanics continues to lag behind the use rates of the non-Hispanic population. When it comes to internet use, some 64% of Latinos ages 18 and older go online,³ compared with 78% of non-Latinos. More than three-fourths (76%) of Latinos use a cell phone, compared with 86% of non-Latinos.⁴

Among youths ages 16 to 25, non-Hispanics are approaching near-universal internet use, but the rate is markedly lower for Hispanics.⁵ Some 95% of non-Hispanics ages 16 and 17 go online, as do 96% of those ages 18 to 25; for Hispanics ages 16 to 25, the internet use rate is 77%. The ethnic gap in cell phone use is less pronounced, though still significant. Some 82% of non-Hispanics ages 16 to 17 use a cell phone, compared with 72% of Hispanics. Among those ages 18 to 25, 94% of non-Hispanics use a cell phone, compared with eight-in-ten (80%) Hispanics.

Differences in Cell Phone Use among Latinos

Just over three-fourths (76%) of Latinos ages 16 and older report using a cell phone. Cell phone use is most common among Latinos ages 25 and younger. Some 78% of Latinos 16 to 19 use a cell, as do 80% of those 20 to 25. Older Latinos are significantly less likely to use a cell—only 74% do so.

Both nativity and generation are important predictors of cell phone use for Latinos. While 72% of Latinos born outside of the U.S. use a cell phone, this share rises to 80% for the native born. And among the native born, the second generation, who have at least one parent born outside of the U.S., are less likely to use cell phones (78%) than third-generation Latinos (84%), who are the native-born children of native-born parents.

Among Latino teens ages 16 to 19, the native-born are more likely to use a cell phone than the foreign born (81% versus 67%), and the third generation is more likely to do so than the second generation (90% vs. 78%). For Latinos ages 20 to 25, the native born are more likely to use cell phones than the foreign born (90% versus 70%), but there is no difference between the second and third generation. There are no significant nativity or generational differences in cell phone use for Latinos ages 26 and older.

Another indicator of assimilation, English proficiency, is also linked to cell phone use among Latinos ages 16 and older.⁶ Some 84% of those who are English dominant use cell phones, compared with 76% of those who are bilingual and 69% of those who use primarily Spanish. The increased likelihood of cell phone use among the English dominant is also evident among Latinos ages 20 to 25 and those ages 26 and older.⁷

Hispanic males ages 16 and older are more likely than their female counterparts to report using a cell phone. While 80% of males use a cell phone, just 72% of females do so. But among Hispanic teens ages 16 to 19, the reverse is true—females are more likely to use a cell phone than their male counterparts (82% versus 73%). There is no significant gender difference in cell use for Hispanics ages 20 to 25, but among Hispanic adults ages 26 and older, males are the dominant cell phone users–80% versus 69%.

Differences in Internet Use among Latinos

When it comes to internet use, almost two-thirds (65%) of all Latinos ages 16 and older go online, at least occasionally. Internet use rates differ markedly between teen Latinos, those in their early 20s, and older Latinos. Fully 84% of Latinos ages 16 to 19 report that they email or use the internet. This number drops to just under three-fourths (74%) for Latinos ages 20 to 25. Only six-in-ten (61%) Latinos ages 26 and older use the internet at all.

Nativity is closely associated with internet use. Half (51%) of foreign-born Latinos go online, while 85% of Latinos born in the U.S. do so. This internet gap is due in part to the fact that the native born are younger on average than their foreign-born counterparts. However, this nativity difference in internet use persists within each of the three age groups examined—16- to 19-year olds, 20- to 25-year olds, and those ages 26 years and older–suggesting that there are other explanatory factors as well.

As is the case with cell phone use, there is a significant difference in internet use between second- and third-generation Latino teens. Some 90% of second-generation Latinos ages 16 to 19 use the internet, while almost all (97%) third-generation Latinos ages 16 to 19 go online. Internet use does not vary by generations for older Latinos.

English proficiency is also closely linked with internet use. Some 87% of English-dominant Latinos ages 16 and older go online, compared with 77% of Latinos who are bilingual. This share drops to only 35% for Spanish-dominant Latinos. Within age groups, Spanish-dominant Latinos are much less likely to go online than their English-dominant counterparts ages 20 to 25, or 26 and older.⁸

No gender differences in internet use exist among the full population of Latinos ages 16 and older. However, a closer analysis reveals gender differences within each age group. For the younger age groups, females are more likely than their male counterparts to use the internet—88% versus 80% for Latinos ages 16 to 19; and 79% versus 70% for Latinos ages 20 to 25. However, among Latinos ages 26 and older, men are more likely to report that they use the internet. Almost two-thirds (65%) say as much, compared with 57% of women.

Technology Use among Latinos and Non-Latinos

Latinos continue to lag behind non-Latinos in cell phone use. Just over three-fourths (76%) of Latinos ages 18 and older use cell phones; this number is 86% among non-Latinos.⁹ The same is true with regard to internet use, despite marked gains by Latinos in recent years (Livingston, Parker and Fox 2009). Some 64% of Latinos use the internet, compared with 78% of non-Latinos—a 14 percentage point difference.

In general, age is inversely related to cell phone and internet use, so the relatively youthful profile of Hispanics is a demographic fact that in and of itself buoys the statistics for overall Hispanic technology use. Controlling for age shows a more precise portrait of the ethnic differentials in technology use.

Among those ages 16 and 17, about seven-in-ten (72%) Latinos use a cell phone, compared with eight-in-ten (82%) non-Latinos. Eighty percent of Latinos ages 18 to 25 use a cell phone, and 94% of their non-Hispanic counterparts do the same. The ethnic differential in cell phone use is particularly notable for the oldest ages—non-Latinos ages 55 and older are 25% more likely than their Latino counterparts to use the technology, with 75% of non-Latinos, and 60% of Latinos reporting that they use cell phones.

When it comes to internet use, almost all young non-Hispanics (ages 16 to 25) go online, while just over three-fourths (77%) of their Hispanic counterparts do the same. For people ages 55 and older, 42% of Latinos use the internet, compared with 57% of non-Latinos.

Methodology

Results for Hispanics are based on the 2009 National Survey of Latinos, which was conducted from August 5 through September 16, 2009 among a randomly selected, nationally representative sample of 2,012 Hispanics ages 16 and older. The survey was conducted in both English and Spanish, on cellular as well as landline telephones. For the total sample, the margin of error is plus or minus 3.7 percentage points. The margin of error for respondents ages 16 to 25 is plus or minus 4.6 percentage points, and the margin of error for respondents ages 26 and older is plus or minus 4.8 percentage points. See Between Two Worlds: How Young Latinos Come of Age in America for more details.

Results for non-Hispanics ages 16 to 17 are based on the Pew Internet and American Life Project (PIAL) 2009 Parent-Teen Cell Phone Survey, which was conducted on cellular as well as landline telephones from June 26 through September 24, 2009 among a nationally representative sample of 800 teens ages 12 to 17 and their parents. The margin of error for the full sample of teens is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.

Race/ethnicity for the teens in this survey is based on the race/ethnicity of the parent respondent.

Results for non-Hispanics ages 18 and older are based on the PIAL 2009 Reputation Management Survey, which was conducted on cellular as well as landline telephones from August 18 through September 14, 2009 among a nationally representative sample of 2,253 adults. The margin of error for the full sample is plus or minus 2.3 percentage points.

From 2006 to 2008, internet use among Latino adults rose by 10 percentage points, from 54%¹ to 64%. In comparison, the rates for whites rose four percentage points, and the rates for blacks rose only two percentage points during that time period. Though Latinos continue to lag behind whites, the gap in internet use has shrunk considerably.

For Latinos, the increase in internet use has been fueled in large part by increases in internet use among groups that have typically had very low rates of internet use.²

• While U.S.-born Latinos experienced a two percentage point increase in internet use from 75% in 2006 to 77% in 2008, foreign-born Latinos experienced a 12 percentage point increase during the same period, from 40% to 52%.
• In 2006, 31% of Latinos lacking a high school degree reported ever going online; in 2008, this number was 41%. In comparison, Latinos with higher levels of education experienced three to four percentage point increases in internet use.
• Internet use among Latinos residing in households with annual incomes less than $30,000 increased 17 percentage points from 2006 to 2008. For Latinos in households earning $30,000 to $49,999 annually, internet use increased two percentage points, and for Latinos in households earning $50,000 or more annually, there was no change in internet use.

Whereas Latinos gained markedly in overall internet use, the pattern of home internet access changed very little. In 2006, 79% of Latinos who were online had internet access at home, while in 2008, this number was 81%. White and black internet users show a similar leveling off. In 2006, 92% of white internet users had a home connection, compared with 94% in 2008. In 2006, 84% of African American internet users had a home connection, compared with 87% in 2008.

While there was little increase in the likelihood of having a home connection among internet users from 2006 to 2008, rates of broadband connection increased dramatically for Hispanics, as well as for whites and blacks. In 2006, 63% of Hispanics with home internet access had a broadband connection; in 2008 this number was 76%. For whites, there was a 17 percentage point increase in broadband connection from 65% to 82%, and for blacks, the increase was from 63% in 2006 to 78% in 2008.

In order to maintain comparability across years, all results are based upon landline telephone surveys conducted by the Pew Hispanic Center and the Pew Internet & American Life Project from February to October 2006, and from August to December 2008. During this same time period, there was a dramatic increase in the proportion of people living in households with only cell phones, and no landline telephones.³

The rapid increase in cell-only populations, particularly for Latinos and African Americans, coupled with the fact that people in cell-only households tend to be slightly more likely to use other forms of technology than people who are reachable via landline telephone, suggests that if anything, the results shown here may underestimate increases in internet use, especially for Latinos and African Americans.⁴

Other key findings include:

• Among Latinos, English-reading ability was linked with internet use—81% of Latinos who read English very well were online, as compared with 63% of Latinos who read pretty well, 52% of Latinos who couldn’t read English well, and 24% of Latinos who couldn’t read English at all.
• Conversely, Spanish-reading ability was not associated with internet use at all among Latinos.
• Native-born Latinos had higher rates of internet use and a greater likelihood of having a broadband connection among home internet users.
• Some 77% of native-born Latinos used the internet, as compared with 52% of the foreign-born.
• While 83% of native-born home internet users had a broadband connection in 2008, this share was 68% among the foreign-born.
• Younger Latinos were more likely to use the internet than older Latinos.
• Among Latinos ages 18 to 34, 77% used the internet; among those ages 35 to 49, 65% used the internet; among those ages 50 to 64, 53% used the internet, and among Latinos ages 65 and older, one-quarter used the internet.
• Education was linked with increased use of the internet, and greater likelihoods of having a home internet connection, and having a broadband connection among Latinos.
• Some 41% of Latinos lacking a high school degree went online in 2008; almost three-fourths (74%) of Latinos with a high school degree went online, and 92% of Latino college graduates went online.
• Among internet users, 64% of Latinos lacking a high school degree had a home internet connection in 2008, as compared with 84% of Latino high school graduates, and 94% of Latino college graduates.
• Some 62% of Latino home internet users who lacked a high school degree had a broadband connection in 2008; this share was 78% for Latino high school graduates, and 86% for Latino college graduates.
• For Latinos, higher household income was associated with internet use, having a home internet connection, and having a broadband connection.
• Some 56% of Latinos in households earning less than $30,000 annually went online in 2008, as compared with 74% of Latinos in households earning $30,000 to $49,999, and 88% of Latinos in households earning $50,000 or more annually.
• Among Latino internet users, 71% of those with annual household incomes less than $30,000 had a home connection in 2008, as did 83% of those with household incomes of $30,000 to $49,999, and 92% of those with household incomes of $50,000 or more.
• Some 71% of Latinos with annual household incomes less than $30,000 who had a home internet connection had broadband access in 2008; in comparison, this share was 79% for Latinos in households with income of $30,000 to $49,999, and 85% for Latinos in households with incomes of $50,000 or more.

About this Report

This report focuses on patterns of technology use among Latinos, whites, and African Americans from 2006 to 2008. The estimates used in the report are derived from a total of eight telephone surveys, three of which were conducted for the Pew Hispanic Center, and five of which were conducted for the Pew Internet & American Life Project. All told, the Pew Hispanic Center surveys interviewed 7,554 adults, and the Pew Internet & American Life Project surveys interviewed 13,687 adults.

A Note on Terminology

The terms “Latino” and “Hispanic” are used interchangeably in this report, as are the terms “foreign born” and “immigrant.”

All references to whites, blacks, Asians and others are to the non-Hispanic components of those populations.

“Foreign born” refers to persons born outside of the United States to parents neither of whom was a U.S. citizen. Foreign born also refers to those born in Puerto Rico.

“Native born” refers to persons born in the United States and those born abroad to parents at least one of whom was a U.S. citizen.

Fifty-six percent of Latinos in the U.S. use the internet

Latinos comprise 14% of the U.S. adult population and about half of this growing group (56%) goes online. By comparison, 71% of non-Hispanic whites and 60% of non- Hispanic blacks use the internet. Several socio-economic characteristics that are often intertwined, such as low levels of education and limited English ability, largely explain the gap in internet use between Hispanics and non-Hispanics.

Just one in three Latinos who speak only Spanish go online

• 78% of Latinos who are English-dominant and 76% of bilingual Latinos use the internet, compared with 32% of Spanish-dominant Hispanic adults.
• 76% of U.S.-born Latinos go online, compared with 43% of those born outside the U.S. Some of this is related to language, but analysis shows that being born outside of the 50 states is an independent factor that is associated with a decreased likelihood of going online.
• 80% of second-generation Latinos, the sons and daughters of immigrants, go online, as do 71% of third-generation Latinos.
• 89% of Latinos who have a college degree, 70% of Latinos who completed high school, and 31% of Latinos who did not complete high school go online.
• Mexicans are the largest national origin group in the U.S. Latino population and are among the least likely groups to go online: 52% of Latinos of Mexican descent use the internet. Even when age, income, language, generation, or nativity is held constant, being Mexican is associated with a decreased likelihood of going online.

Differences in levels of education and English proficiency explain much of the difference in internet usage between Hispanics and non-Hispanics

Internet use is uniformly low for whites (32%), Hispanics (31%), and African Americans (25%) who have not completed high school. However, 41% of Latino adults have not finished high school, compared with about one in ten non-Hispanic whites and one in five African Americans. The same pattern is evident at the other end of the spectrum of educational attainment. College-educated adults all have equally high levels (about 90%) of internet use regardless of race or ethnicity, yet the college educated make up a smaller share of the Latino population when compared with non-Hispanics.

Language is also a powerful factor, as internet use is much higher among Latinos who speak and read English fluently than among those who have limited English abilities or who only speak Spanish. Language is not an issue in the white and black populations as the shares of adults with limited English abilities is quite small.

A statistical analysis of the survey results shows education and language are each highly significant factors when other differences in group characteristics are taken into account. When the different levels of language or education are controlled statistically, Hispanics and non-Hispanics show similar levels of internet use.

Latinos are less likely than whites to have an internet connection at home

Just 29% of Latino adults have a broadband connection at home, compared with 43% of white adults. This is mostly due to the fact that Latino internet users are less likely than non-Hispanic white internet users to have any type of internet connection at home (79%, compared to 92%). Among the 79% of Latinos who do have a home internet connection, 66% have a broadband connection, which is actually similar to the rate among non- Hispanic white internet users with a home connection (68%).

Some Latinos who do not use the internet are connecting to the communications revolution in a different way – via cell phone

The communications revolution is not limited to the computer screen. Fully 59% of Latino adults have a cell phone and 49% of Latino cell phone users send and receive text messages on their phone. Looking at the numbers in a different way, 56% of Latino adults go online, 18% of Latino adults have a cell phone but do not go online, and 26% of Latino adults have neither a cell phone nor an internet connection.

Latinos Online: Summary of Findings at a Glance

• Fifty-six percent of Latinos in the U.S. use the internet.
• Just one in three Latinos who speak only Spanish go online.
• Differences in levels of education and English proficiency explain much of the difference in internet usage between Hispanics and non-Hispanics.
• Latinos are less likely than whites to have an internet connection at home.
• Some Latinos who do not use the internet are connecting to the communications revolution in a different way – via cell phone.

Source: Susannah Fox and Gretchen Livingston. Latinos Online. Washington, DC: Pew Hispanic Center/Pew Internet & American Life Project, March 14, 2007.

About this Report

This report is based on the findings of a series of telephone surveys conducted June through October 2006. Data related to Hispanics was gathered through telephone interviews conducted by International Communications Research between June 5 – July 3, 2006, and August 10 – October 4, 2006, among a sample of 6,016 Hispanic adults, aged 18 and older. For results based on the total sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the error attributable to sampling and other random effects is +/-2.07%. Data related to non- Hispanics was gathered through telephone interviews conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates between August 1-31, 2006, among a sample of 2,928 adults, aged 18 and older.