Black and Hispanic People Have Less Access to Broadband Internet Than White People

A 2019 Pew Research survey found that Black and Hispanic people have less access to broadband internet than White people (66% 61% vs 79% respectively). This digital divide is becoming more pronounced due to trends in remote work.

See also:

• Minority job candidates are significantly more worried they about being able to work remotely
• Inequality of remote work

Links to this note

• 8 in 10 People Live Within 100 Miles of Where They Grew Up

  Where you live and work is highly dependent on where you grew up. A recent study using data from the U.S. Census Bureau looking at migration patterns found that 80% of young adults move less than 100 miles from where they grew up—90% live less than 500 miles from where they grew up. Migration distances are shorter for Black and Hispanic individuals and those from low-income families.

• Living a Rich Digital Life

  With so much of our time spent with computers and the internet, we ought to think about the quality of our digital lives. What makes for a good digital life? How do you achieve it? What should we do to improve it?

• Remote Work Will Become a Political Issue

  Up to this point in the COVID-19 pandemic, remote work has been a buoy keeping many parts of the economy afloat. We’ve seen that working from home was so successful and fears of loss of productivity were unfounded. Now we are starting to see a reactionary movement that will find it’s way into political agendas—how to get workers back in the office.

• Minority Job Candidates Are Significantly More Worried About Being Able to Work Remotely

  According to a recent survey by WayUp that measured how job seekers felt in the current COVID-19 job climate, Black and Hispanic/Latino job seekers were 145% more likely to be concerned about being capable of doing a job remotely compared to White job seekers. Lack of physical space, access to broadband, and having more people in the household are contributing factors.