Computers and Community in East Palo Alto: Report on the Survey Conducted Among East Palo Alto Residents Regarding Their Computer Usage and Community Involvement Prior to the Launch of the East Palo Alto Community Network
Partnership for Internet Equity and Community Engagement (PIECE) Report, March 2003
29 Pages Posted: 22 Feb 2013 Last revised: 26 Apr 2013
Abstract
This survey documents attitudes toward and use of computers and the Internet in East Palo Alto, California, in order to find out what content and services the new EPA.Net Community Network should offer to best meet the community’s needs, just before the Network's launch in early 2003. The findings of this study reveal a clear support among community members for incorporating technology into the East Palo Alto community, and a clear support for certain types of content and services. The findings also reveal that the Latino community is much farther behind in terms of computer and Internet usage than the Pacific Islander and African American communities. The biggest source of a digital divide in East Palo Alto appears to be the language barrier, which correlates dramatically with a lack of online access for Latino residents. It is clear that with 48% of the population speaking Spanish at home, and 41% of the Latinos speaking no English, serious efforts must be undertaken to allow the non-English-speaking population to interact with the community and information online.
Keywords: community networks, digital divide, community technology
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