Give PC's a chance: personal computer ownership and the digital divide in the United States and Great Britain

Schmitt, John and Wadsworth, Jonathan (2002) Give PC's a chance: personal computer ownership and the digital divide in the United States and Great Britain. CEPDP (526). London School of Economics and Political Science. Centre for Economic Performance, London, UK. ISBN 0753019248

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Abstract

This paper summarizes inequalities in PC ownership using data from the US Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE) and the British General Household Survey (GHS) for the period 1984-98. Between 1988 and 1994, British households were more likely than US households to own a personal computer (PC). After 1994, however, US PC ownership rates accelerated rapidly, pushing the United States ahead of Britain. Differences in computer ownership rates are however much larger within the two countries, measured by income, education, age, family status, and race. Both the United States and Britain show large and growing inequality in PC ownership over the 1980s and 1990s. Analysis of ownership patterns of four other household consumer durables suggests that there may be significant limitations to relying solely on the market to eradicate PC inequality quickly.

Item Type:	Monograph (Discussion Paper)
Official URL:	http://cep.lse.ac.uk
Additional Information:	© 2002 the authors
Divisions:	Centre for Economic Performance
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor
JEL classification:	J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J6 - Mobility, Unemployment, and Vacancies
Date Deposited:	29 Jul 2008 10:40
Last Modified:	09 May 2025 00:42
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/20086

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