The Urban–Rural Digital Divide in Internet Access and Online Activities During the COVID‐19 Pandemic.

The COVID‐19 pandemic rapidly shifted traditionally in‐person interactions to online. Because rural residents historically have lower rates of broadband internet access, they may have been less likely to conduct activities online than their urban counterparts, reflecting geographic digital inequalit...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:Rural Sociology Vol. 90; no. 3; pp. 1 - 15
Autores principales: Olson, Kristen, Phillips, Angelica, Smyth, Jolene D., Stenger, Rachel
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Wiley-Blackwell Sep2025
Materias:
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
fields @attributes:
  recordID: 1
pdfLink:
plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ssf&AN=188098885&site=ehost-live
header:
  @attributes:
    shortDbName: ssf
    uiTerm: 188098885
    longDbName: Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson)
    uiTag: AN
  controlInfo:
    bkinfo:
    jinfo:
      jid:
        00360112
        RUS
      jtl: Rural Sociology
      issn: 00360112
      maglogo: Y
    pubinfo:
      dt: Sep2025
      vid: 90
      iid: 3
      pid: 480
      pub: Wiley-Blackwell
    artinfo:
      ui:
        188098885
        10.1111/ruso.70012
      ppf: 1
      ppct: 14
      formats:
      tig:
        atl: The Urban–Rural Digital Divide in Internet Access and Online Activities During the COVID‐19 Pandemic.
      aug:
        au:
          Olson, Kristen
          Phillips, Angelica
          Smyth, Jolene D.
          Stenger, Rachel
        affil:
          Department of Sociology, University of Nebraska‐Lincoln, Lincoln Nebraska,, USA
          Program for Research in Survey Methodology, RTI International, Research Triangle Park North Carolina,, USA
      su:
        Internet access
        Rural-urban differences
        COVID-19 pandemic
        City dwellers
        Digital divide
        Rural Americans
      sug:
        subj:
          Internet access
          Rural-urban differences
          COVID-19 pandemic
          City dwellers
          Digital divide
          Rural Americans
      keyword:
        digital divide
        digital inequalities
        geographic differences
        rural broadband
        digital divide
        digital inequalities
        geographic differences
        rural broadband
      ab: The COVID‐19 pandemic rapidly shifted traditionally in‐person interactions to online. Because rural residents historically have lower rates of broadband internet access, they may have been less likely to conduct activities online than their urban counterparts, reflecting geographic digital inequalities. We examine whether residents of rural areas are less likely than residents of urban areas to have internet access, conduct various activities online, and use videoconferencing software during the COVID‐19 pandemic using a probability survey of Nebraskans conducted in late 2020. We find that rural residents were less likely to have broadband internet access, a pattern that persists after accounting for characteristics of the residents. We also find that rural residents were less likely than their more urban counterparts to order food and groceries online, to stream movies or TV, or to use video conferencing for work and medical care, reflecting likely infrastructure differences in rural areas. Rural residents were also less likely to engage in online education activities, play games online, use social media, or use video conferencing to stay in touch with friends and family, but these geographic differences were explained by resident characteristics, suggesting that these differences in behaviors may be due to preference rather than lacking infrastructure.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
    refInfo:
    copyright:
      @attributes:
        flag: N
    holdings:
      @attributes:
        islocal: N