How Connected are Canadians? Inequities in Canadian Households’ Internet Access

Abstract

What can be learned from an analysis of Canadian household Internet adoption patterns? Households headed by lower-income, less-educated, or older Canadians have Internet adoption rates well below the Canadian average. In contrast, households with heads who are highly educated, earn above average incomes, or are younger than 55 are adopting the Internet at rates well above the average. In the simplest of terms, privileged Canadians are online, while their less-privileged compatriots are not. What is most surprising about these findings is that very little notice has been given to them, although Internet adoption data have been available for many years.Résumé : Quelles conclusions peut-on tirer de l'analyse des tendances canadiennes d'adoption d'Internet à la maison? Les résultats démontrent que les familles avec des chefs peu instruits, d'une faible revenue et d'un âge élevé, sont plus lents d'adopter Internet. Par contre, dans les ménages dont les chefs ont une bonne éducation, recoivent des revenues au-dessus de la moyenne canadienne ou ont moins de 55 ans, l'Internet est adopté à une vitesse plus rapide que la moyenne du pays. Autrement dit, les canadiens privilégiés sont en ligne, tandis que leurs compatriotes moins chanceux ne le sont pas. C'est surprenant que ces conclusions n'aient soulevé qu'une faible attention bien que les donées concernant le phénomène d'adoption d'Internet soient disponibles depuis plusieurs années.

Social Ties, Literacy, Location and the Perception of Economic Opportunity: Factors Influencing Telecentre Success in a Development Context

“…DiMaggio and Hargittai [12] also found that low literacy levels affected autonomy in usage of telecentre services. Further, Middleton and Sorenson [44] found that low literacy affected user privacy and freedom of use because of the need for assistance in negotiating the technology. In an evaluation of community multimedia centres (CMCs) established by UNESCO, it was noted that low literacy levels reduced the number of potential users and affected the revenue generation capacity of CMCs in Jamaica [10].…”

Comparing Digital Divides: Internet Access and Social Inequality in Canada and the United States

“…Described as avid technological determinists, Canadian policymakers are said to view Internet use as the solution to Canada's ongoing social, cultural, and economic problems (Alexander, 2001;Middleton & Sorensen, 2005). From this perspective, a lack of infrastructure, relevant cultural content, and technical knowledge has very serious repercussions for Canadians.…”

Communicating with (Some) Canadians: Communication Rights and Government Online in Canada

“…There are good indicators, however, that suggest that this is not the case. Upon reviewing Statistics Canada's Internet adoption and use data, Middleton & Sorensen (2005) conclude that although the number of Internet non-users has declined over the years, cost remains an important barrier for non-users. Of equal importance, a significant proportion of Internet non-users continue to not use the Internet because they do not have any need for it or any interest in using it (Middleton & Sorensen, 2005).…”

“…Both Longford (2004) and Middleton & Sorensen (2005) draw attention to the federal government's increasing reliance on the Internet for the provision of information and services despite its failure to develop a comprehensive, longterm strategy to ensure that Canadians are guaranteed some form of basic access to the Internet in order to be able to make use of this information and service provision. Although some well-publicized government programs have come and gone, today there remain segments of the population that do not or cannot use the Internet.…”