Seattle Technology Access and Adoption Study

The study, conducted every five years, provides valuable data and insight on internet access and use, devices, digital skills, civic participation, training needs, and safety and security concerns. Results help guide the City and community digital equity programs to serve residents better. For the first time, the study reports on telehealth use, prolonged internet interruptions, adequate screen size, devices per household, and awareness of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). In this survey, the City partnered with Native groups to gather the first-ever urban Native digital equity snapshot. Findings from this study reveal that while the digital divide has shrunk, there is still work to do to ensure all residents have resources and access to digital tools and training. The findings include:

• One in 20 households have fewer than one internet device per household member.
• Over half (54%) are interested in training on how to protect yourself and your data online.
• 1 in 6 Native households dealt with internet outages of a month or more.
• 71% have made a health appointment online, but lower income residents use telehealth less.
• Nearly 44,000 households have significant needs for improvement in access, devices, uses and skills using a new digital connectedness index.
• 11% of BIPOC households do not have internet access both at home and on-the-go.
• Focus group participants expressed needs for training in-person, online and hybrid.