[quote style=”2″]87% of Oregonians Access Web, But Hispanic Usage is Down[/quote]
According to a recent study commissioned by the Oregon Broadband Advisory Council (OBAC), Internet usage is nearly universal in Oregon.
The study assesses the rate of broadband Internet adoption across the state of Oregon and identifies the key factors that have influenced the adoption rate.
The 2014 Oregon Broadband Adoption Survey, conducted by Pivot Group, LLC, out of Portland, was published in August as a follow-up to OBAC’s 2010 telephone survey on statewide broadband adoption. This year’s survey was also designed to provide demographic statewide and regional rates of computer ownership, service availability, Internet use, barriers to adoption, perceptions of cost, and user satisfaction.
The study is based on 4,017 wireless and landline telephone surveys conducted in February and March of 2014 among Oregon residents age 18 and older. The margin of error for the entire sample is plus or minus 1.5 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.
According to the findings of the study, 87 percent of Oregon adults use the Internet, which is equal to the national Internet usage rate. Eighty-two percent of Oregon adults use broadband/high-speed Internet at home, which is above the national rate of 80 percent.
Overall, Oregon’s Internet usage has plateaued since 2010. However, the study indicates that current usage among Hispanic Oregonians (74 percent) is significantly lower than it was in 2010 (84 percent).
The study also found that, while Oregonians are generally satisfied with the quality, reliability and speed of their Internet service, monthly costs continue to cause dissatisfaction among many.
Below are more specific findings from the 2014 Oregon Broadband Adoption Survey:
Internet Usage
• Ninety-five percent of Oregonians aged 18 to 29 use the Internet. Internet use drops significantly at age 65 or older (72 percent), but this is significantly higher than nationwide Internet use within the 65 or older age group (72 percent vs. 57 percent).
• Internet use continues to be more prevalent in the Portland area and Central Oregon. The South Central and Eastern regions each show significantly lower percentages of Internet use.
Places Where Internet Users Access the Internet:
• Among all users, 96 percent access the Internet at home. The percentage of Hispanics connecting at the public library has increased from 31 percent in 2010 to 45 percent in 2014.
• Adults aged 18 to 29 are comfortable accessing the Internet from virtually anywhere. Just over half of this age group connect to the Internet at four or more locations. Conversely, 55 percent of those aged 65 or older access the Internet only at home.
• Among Internet users who don’t access the Internet at home, 50 percent access at someone else’s house, 49 percent connect at the public library, and 35 percent access at work.
Home Internet Connection Type
• Statewide, cable Internet service is significantly more prevalent than it was in 2010 (51 percent vs. 43 percent). Conversely, the percentage of DSL connections is significantly less common (25 percent vs. 34 percent in 2010). The greatest increases since 2010 among those who use cable are found in Northwest Coast, Southwest Oregon, and North and South Central regions. DSL is still used by over half in the Eastern Oregon region.
Home Broadband Adoption
• The demographic factors most correlated with home broadband adoption continue to be age, household income and educational attainment. Adults aged 18 to 49 are significantly more likely to have broadband Internet access at home than those aged 50 or older. Oregon seniors aged 65 and older, however, are more likely than seniors across the nation to have broadband at home (64 percent vs. 47 percent; note this excludes mobile/cellular access for national comparison purposes).
• Higher income households and college graduates are significantly more likely to have broadband at home.
• Home broadband adoption among Hispanics (66 percent) is significantly lower than among non-Hispanics.
• Statewide home broadband adoption is at 82 percent. Just 69 percent of adults in South Central and 67 percent in Eastern Oregon subscribe to broadband service at home.
Reasons for Not Using the Internet at Home
• Cost-related reasons are the highest-rated overall, especially among not-at-home Internet users, 60 percent of whom rated monthly cost a four or five on a five-point scale. The percentage who rated the cost-related reasons a four or five is similar to the percentage in 2010.
• Among those who have never used the Internet, top reasons are related to discomfort and perceived need: “I am not comfortable using a computer” (43 percent), “There is nothing on the Internet I want to see” (39 percent), and “I am worried about all the bad things that could happen” (34 percent). Among all respondents who do not use the Internet at home, significant increases have occurred with all reasons related to discomfort and perceived need. This supports other findings that Internet use is near saturation levels in the state overall.
Satisfaction with Internet Service
• When asked to rate overall satisfaction with their service provider using a five-point scale, 75 percent of home broadband users rated them either a four or five. There was little variance in satisfaction ratings by income, educational attainment, or by racial/ethnic group, although older respondents (aged 65 and above) and female respondents were generally more satisfied.
• Compared to the 2010 findings, significantly fewer respondents rated connection speed a four or five on a five-point scale.
• Residents with broadband access in Portland Metro and the Central Coast regions are significantly less satisfied with their connection speeds than they were in 2010. Portlanders are also significantly less satisfied with their connection reliability in 2014 compared to 2010. South Central Oregon was the only region that saw improvement in satisfaction ratings across the board. Overall satisfaction across the state does not vary much by region, although South Central Oregon is trending higher and Eastern Oregon is trending lower.
The 2014 Oregon Broadband Adoption Survey cost $153,000, which was provided by a grant from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration through the Public Utility Commission of Oregon.
Find the full report online.
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