Indicator 4: Means of Internet Access at Home

In 2015, about 78 percent of children ages 3 to 18 who used the Internet at home accessed it through a high-speed internet service installed at home; this percentage was lower than the corresponding percentage in 2010 (89 percent). In contrast, a higher percentage of children who used the Internet at home accessed it through a mobile internet service or data plan in 2015 (67 percent) than in 2010 (9 percent).

This indicator uses the Current Population Survey to examine the prevalence of different means of internet access at home in 2015 and 2010 for children ages 3 to 18 who used the Internet at home.¹ The indicator then focuses on the percentages of the children who accessed the Internet through a high-speed internet service installed at home or by a mobile internet service or a data plan in 2015, describing differences in relation to race/ethnicity, age, highest level of education attained by either parent, and family income.

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Figure 4.1. Percentage of children ages 3 to 18 who used the Internet at home, by means of internet access from home: 2010 and 2015

# Rounds to zero.
¹ Includes cable, DSL, and fiber-optic service.
² Includes data plan for a cellular phone, smartphone, tablet, laptop, or other device.
³ Respondents were asked whether they accessed the Internet at home using "some other service." Examples of other services were not provided to respondents.
NOTE: Includes only persons who use the Internet from home. The different types of internet access may sum to more than 100 percent because a single home internet user can have more than one type of access (e.g., high-speed internet service plus a mobile phone data plan). Data are based on sample surveys of the civilian noninstitutionalized population, which excludes persons in the military and persons living in institutions (e.g., prisons or nursing facilities). Data for 2015 were collected in the July supplement to the Current Population Survey (CPS), while data for 2010 were collected in the October supplement. The July supplement consists solely of questions about computer and internet use. In contrast, the October supplement focuses on school enrollment, although it also includes questions about computer and internet use. Measurable differences in estimates across years could reflect actual changes in the population; however, differences could also reflect seasonal variations in data collection or differences between the content of the July and October supplements. Therefore, caution should be used when making year-to-year comparisons. Although rounded numbers are displayed, the figures are based on unrounded estimates.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), October 2010 and July 2015. See Digest of Education Statistics 2016, table 702.35.

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Children had different types of internet access at home.² In 2015, the two most common means of internet access for children ages 3 to 18 who used the Internet at home were a high-speed internet service installed at home, including cable, DSL, and fiber-optic service (78 percent) and a mobile internet service or a data plan, including a data plan for a cellular phone, smartphone, tablet, laptop, or other device (67 percent). Other means of internet access were satellite internet service (4 percent), dial-up service (less than 1 percent), or some other service³ (1 percent). In addition, the percentage of children whose means of home internet access was a mobile internet service or a data plan was higher in 2015 (67 percent) than 2010 (9 percent), while the percentage of children who accessed the Internet through a high-speed internet service installed at home was lower in 2015 (78 percent) than 2010 (89 percent).

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Figure 4.2. Percentage of children ages 3 to 18 using the Internet at home through a high-speed internet service installed at home or a mobile internet service or a data plan, by race/ethnicity: 2015

¹ Includes cable, DSL, and fiber-optic service.
² Includes data plan for a cellular phone, smartphone, tablet, laptop, or other device.
NOTE: Includes only persons who use the Internet from home. The different types of internet access may sum to more than 100 percent because a single home internet user can have more than one type of access (e.g., high-speed internet service plus a mobile phone data plan). Data are based on sample surveys of the civilian noninstitutionalized population, which excludes persons in the military and persons living in institutions (e.g., prisons or nursing facilities). Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Although rounded numbers are displayed, the figures are based on unrounded estimates.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), July 2015. See Digest of Education Statistics 2016, table 702.35.

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In 2015, the percentage of children ages 3 to 18 using the Internet at home who accessed it through a high-speed internet service installed at home was higher for children of Two or more races (84 percent), Asian children (82 percent), and White children (81 percent) than it was for Black (74 percent), Hispanic (73 percent), and American Indian/Alaska Native (66 percent) children. The percentages of children who accessed the Internet at home via a mobile internet service or a data plan presented a different pattern. A higher percentage of Pacific Islander children accessed the Internet through a mobile internet service or a data plan (82 percent) than Black children (67 percent), White children (67 percent), Hispanic children (67 percent), children of Two or more races (67 percent), and Asian children (62 percent). In addition, a higher percentage of American Indian/Alaska Native children (78 percent) than of Asian children accessed the Internet at home through a mobile internet service or a data plan.

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Figure 4.3. Percentage of children ages 3 to 18 using the Internet at home through a high-speed internet service installed at home or a mobile internet service or a data plan, by age: 2015

¹ Includes cable, DSL, and fiber-optic service.
² Includes data plan for a cellular phone, smartphone, tablet, laptop, or other device.
NOTE: Includes only persons who use the Internet from home. The different types of internet access may sum to more than 100 percent because a single home internet user can have more than one type of access (e.g., high-speed internet service plus a mobile phone data plan). Data are based on sample surveys of the civilian noninstitutionalized population, which excludes persons in the military and persons living in institutions (e.g., prisons or nursing facilities). Although rounded numbers are displayed, the figures are based on unrounded estimates.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), July 2015. See Digest of Education Statistics 2016, table 702.35.

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No measurable differences were observed across age groups in the percentage of children ages 3 to 18 using the Internet at home who accessed it through a high-speed internet service installed at home in 2015. However, in the same year, a higher percentage of children ages 3 and 4 (70 percent) than of ages 11 to 14 (65 percent) and 15 to 18 (67 percent) accessed the Internet at home through a mobile internet service or a data plan. In addition, the percentage of children ages 5 to 10 (68 percent) who accessed the Internet at home through a mobile internet service or a data plan was higher than the corresponding percentage of children ages 11 to 14.

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Figure 4.4. Percentage of children ages 3 to 18 using the Internet at home through a high-speed internet service installed at home or a mobile internet service or a data plan, by highest level of education attained by either parent: 2015

¹ Includes cable, DSL, and fiber-optic service.
² Includes data plan for a cellular phone, smartphone, tablet, laptop, or other device.
NOTE: Includes only persons who use the Internet from home. The different types of internet access may sum to more than 100 percent because a single home internet user can have more than one type of access (e.g., high-speed internet service plus a mobile phone data plan). Data are based on sample surveys of the civilian noninstitutionalized population, which excludes persons in the military and persons living in institutions (e.g., prisons or nursing facilities). Highest education level refers to that of any parent residing with the child (including an adoptive or stepparent). Includes only children who resided with at least one of their parents. Although rounded numbers are displayed, the figures are based on unrounded estimates.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), July 2015. See Digest of Education Statistics 2016, table 702.35.

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In 2015, the percentages of children ages 3 to 18 who accessed the Internet through a high-speed internet service installed at home were higher for those whose parents attained a bachelor's or higher degree (83 percent), an associate's degree (80 percent), and some college education (79 percent) than for those whose parents did not complete high school and those whose parents only completed high school (70 percent each). In addition, a lower percentage of children whose parents attained some college education than of those whose parents attained a bachelor's or higher degree accessed the Internet at home through a high-speed internet service. In contrast, no measurable differences were observed for the percentage of children who accessed the Internet through a mobile internet service or a data plan in relation to their parents' educational attainment.

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Figure 4.5. Percentage of children ages 3 to 18 using the Internet at home through a high-speed internet service installed at home or a mobile internet service or a data plan, by family income: 2015

¹ Includes cable, DSL, and fiber-optic service.
² Includes data plan for a cellular phone, smartphone, tablet, laptop, or other device.
NOTE: Family income shown in current dollars. Includes only persons who use the Internet from home. The different types of internet access may sum to more than 100 percent because a single home internet user can have more than one type of access (e.g., high-speed internet service plus a mobile phone data plan). Data are based on sample surveys of the civilian noninstitutionalized population, which excludes persons in the military and persons living in institutions (e.g., prisons or nursing facilities). Although rounded numbers are displayed, the figures are based on unrounded estimates.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), July 2015. See Digest of Education Statistics 2016, table 702.35.

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The percentage of children ages 3 to 18 using the Internet at home who accessed it through a high-speed internet service installed at home in 2015 was lowest for children with family incomes of less than $10,000 (61 percent) and highest for children with family incomes over $100,000 (85 percent). In addition, lower percentages of children with family incomes of $10,000 to $19,999 (73 percent), $30,000 to $39,999 (72 percent), and $20,000 to $29,999 (70 percent) than those with family incomes between $75,000 and $99,999 (81 percent) accessed the Internet through a high-speed internet service installed at home.

Few differences and no consistent patterns were observed across family income levels in the percentages of children ages 3 to 18 using the Internet at home through a mobile internet service or a data plan. Specifically, 72 percent of children with family incomes less than $10,000 accessed the Internet through a mobile internet service or a data plan, compared with 66 percent of those with family incomes of $50,000 to $74,999 and 63 percent of those with a family income of $20,000 to $29,999. In addition, the percentage of children with family incomes of $20,000 to $29,999 who accessed the Internet at home through a mobile internet service or a data plan (63 percent) was lower than that of children with family incomes of over $100,000 (68 percent).

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¹ Data for 2015 were collected in the July supplement to the Current Population Survey (CPS), while data for 2010 were collected in the October supplement. The July supplement consists solely of questions about computer and internet use. In contrast, the October supplement focuses on school enrollment, although it also includes questions about computer and internet use. Measurable differences in estimates across years could reflect actual changes in the population; however, differences could also reflect seasonal variations in data collection or differences between the content of the July and October supplements. Therefore, caution should be used when making year-to-year comparisons. Percentages for means of internet access at home are only based on persons who use the Internet at home.
² The different types of internet access may sum to more than 100 percent because a single home internet user can have more than one type of access (e.g., high-speed internet service plus a mobile phone data plan).
³ Respondents were asked whether they accessed the Internet at home using "some other service." Examples of other service were not provided to respondents.

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