Pew Research Center

FOR RELEASE SEPTEMBER 1, 2010

Latinos Online 2010

Technology use among foreign-born Latinos continues to lag significantly behind that of their U.S.-born counterparts.

BY Susannah Fox

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Pew Research Center, September 2010, "Latinos Online 2010"

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Latinos Online 2010

Technology use among foreign-born Latinos continues to lag significantly behind that of their U.S.-born counterparts.

The Pew Hispanic Center has found that technology use among foreign-born Latinos continues to lag significantly behind that of their U.S.-born counterparts.  Their report, The Latino Digital Divide: The Native Born versus The Foreign Born, shows that the nativity differences are especially pronounced when it comes to internet use. While 85% of native-born Latinos ages 16 and older go online, only about half (51%) of foreign-born Latinos do so. When it comes to cell phones, 80% of native-born Latinos use one, compared with 72% of the foreign born.

In another recent report, How Young Latinos Communicate with Friends in the Digital Age, the Pew Hispanic Project found that, when it comes to socializing and communicating with friends, young Latinos (ages 16 to 25) make extensive use of mobile technology. Half say they text message (50%) their friends daily, and 45% say they talk daily with friends on a cell phone. Other communication platforms are less widely used for socializing. For example, fewer than one-in-five young Latinos (18%) say they talk daily with their friends on a landline or home phone, and just 10% say they email their friends daily.

For historical perspective, please see:

Latinos Online, 2006-2008: Narrowing the Gap

Latinos Online (2007)