Welfare Recipients and the Digital Divide: Left out of the New Economy?

Policy makers and researchers have identified a divide in computer ownership between the economically disadvantaged and the general population in the United States. Minorities, the elderly, and individuals with low educational achievement also appear to be left out of the new digital economy. In an attempt to test whether this identified divide in computer ownership exists, data concerning people in receipt of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) [i.e., welfare] were examined for economic, racial, age, educational, and regional differences in rates of computer ownership. The data were then compared to research studies that examined rates of computer ownership and access in the general population. The findings support policy makers' and researchers' concerns about the growing divide in computer access and ownership between the economically advantaged and disadvantaged.