Dec 1, 2018

The bottom line: Wealth is driving how people get the internet


Data: SurveyMonkey online poll conducted Nov. 27‐29, 2018, among 3,308 U.S. adults. Total margin of error is ±2.5 percentage points; Poll methodology; Chart: Chris Canipe/Axios

Data: SurveyMonkey online poll conducted Nov. 27‐29, 2018, among 3,308 U.S. adults. Total margin of error is ±2.5 percentage points; Poll methodology; Chart: Chris Canipe/Axios

An exclusive Axios/SurveyMonkey poll reveals that income strongly affects how Americans access the internet, and the divide cuts across geography.

  • In both urban and rural areas, exactly half of the lower income population reported having broadband internet at home — the lowest percentage of any group.

Our research also found that income was a strong factor in determining why a person might rely primarily on a smartphone for internet access.

  • Members of families making less than $50,000 per year were more likely than higher-income respondents to say they use a smartphone because they didn't own a computer or because it was cheaper.
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