Digital Divide: In the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Communities

While the pandemic heightened awareness of the digital divide and the staggering number of households unable to benefit from digital services and opportunities, Asian American, Native Hawaiians, and
Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities throughout the country have been fighting to achieve digital equity and inclusion for years. Broadband challenges vary by community but include a lack of high-speed internet network availability, a lack of access to digital readiness tools and devices, insufficient access to information and resources that can help non-adopters get online safely. Very few digital divide studies include Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in their analysis. This study aims to better understand the unique needs and diverse challenges that the AANHPI communities face in achieving digital literacy and empowerment. These surveys confirmed what advocates and community leaders have been reporting for years—significant subsets of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities are still being left behind by the digital divide.