The estimate at the end of 2018 was that 86.4% of US households were connected to the Internet.(1) We also believe, based on surveys, that some proportion of the disconnected either borrow access from friends, have access via cell phones, or use public libraries to access the Net.
That leaves a reported 7%, per a recent Pew Foundation survey, who aren’t connected at all.(2)
My suspicion is that the number of disconnected is higher, for several reasons:
- Participation bias in surveys. I suspect that the disconnected tend not to respond, and they certainly don’t respond to web-based surveys. The only way to reach them is by mail or phone. While Pew uses the best methods to reach people, there’s only so much you can do to reach people who don’t want to cooperate.
- There are 19,502 municipalities of all sizes in the US and approximately 9,000 public libraries. While some…
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