Developing National Indicators of Equitable Access to Information Technology in the United States

James Madison University, Harrisonburg VA

Investigators

Abstract

This project will develop prototype quantitative indicators that measure access to information technologies (IT) in the United States. These indicators will measure access to IT in terms of point of access (i.e., work, home, and libraries), demographics (i.e., income, education, race and ethnicity), and technological capability (i.e., computer and modem speed, internet access, software and media). The PI will utilize data from government, commercial, and non-profit sources. These indicators will help in the evaluation of the so-called "digital divide"--the social and economic disadvantages of lacking access to information in a knowledge-based economy. These indicators are of particular significance to the National Science Board, the Divsion of Science Resources Studies, the broader U. S. policy community, and scholars. The project will aim to synthesize the theory and empirical evidence regarding the impacts of information inequalities on information and society, develop prototype indicators of IT equity in the United States, and evaluate the potential for an IT equity indicators program. The key expected outcomes are a set of prototype IT equity indicators and detailed instructions about the construction of the measures, the data available to calculate the measures, and the institutional and data collection requirements for an on-going effort in this area.