Data from the U.S. Government

Not that long ago, home computers did not exist. In 1985, when the Current Population Survey, a division of the U.S. Census Bureau, began measuring computer adoption rates, only 8% of American homes possessed them and the Internet was a technological experiment confined to the military and universities. By comparison, 98% of American homes had a television in 1985.

Several reports by the U.S. government that assess home, school, and work computer use informed the research that led to the completion of The Young and the Digital. Here are links to some of the tables and reports that I found especially useful.

• Computer Use in the United States: October 1984 (U.S. Bureau of the Census 1988)

• Falling Through the Net: A Survey of the ‘Have Nots’ in Rural and Urban America (National Telecommunications and Information Administration 1995)

• Home Computers and Internet Use in the United States: August 2000 (U.S. Bureau of the Census)

• Internet Access in U.S. Public Schools and Classrooms: 1994-2002 (U.S. Department of Education)

• Computer and Internet Use by Students in 2003: Statistical Analysis Report (U.S. Department of Education)