How Connected are Canadians? Inequities in Canadian Households’ Internet Access

Abstract

What can be learned from an analysis of Canadian household Internet adoption patterns? Households headed by lower-income, less-educated, or older Canadians have Internet adoption rates well below the Canadian average. In contrast, households with heads who are highly educated, earn above average incomes, or are younger than 55 are adopting the Internet at rates well above the average. In the simplest of terms, privileged Canadians are online, while their less-privileged compatriots are not. What is most surprising about these findings is that very little notice has been given to them, although Internet adoption data have been available for many years.