Study: Blacks Online Appreciate Net's Value

N E W   Y O R K, Oct. 23 -- Although blacks still lag in access to the Internet, a new study finds that those who are connected are more likely than whites to appreciate its value as an information tool.

Forty-five percent of black Americans with online access foundthe Internet useful for getting health care information, comparedwith 35 percent of white Net users, the Pew Internet & AmericanLife Project found in its latest study.

The report, released Sunday, also found blacks were more likelythan whites to use the Internet to find information on religion,jobs and housing.

“I’m really struck by the degree to which African-AmericanInternet users have looked to the Internet for economic advancementand lifestyle improvement,” said Lee Rainie, the study’s director.

Blacks are also more likely to say the Internet helps thempursue hobbies, the study found. On the other hand, whites have agreater tendency to find the Internet useful for connecting withfamilies and friends.

Opening up Access

Darien Dash, who runs a program to equip minorities withlow-cost computers and free Internet access, said blacks are morelikely to appreciate the Internet’s value because they have morelimited access to similar resources offline.

For example, he said, many urban blacks can’t get good healthcare information, and their schools do not offer as many enrichmentprograms as those in richer areas.

The Pew survey was based on random telephone interviews with12,751 adults from March 1 to Aug. 20. Of that group, 1,501 areblack, and 586 of them use the Internet. The findings about blacksonline have a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percent.

Last Monday, the Commerce Department issued a report showingthat while more black households now have Internet access, they arestill less likely than white households to be connected.

More than 23 percent of black households had access in August2000, up from 11 percent in December 1998. But the access gapcontinued to widen, with whites getting connected at a faster clip.Some 46 percent of white households had access in August, up from30 percent in 1998.