The Racial Digital Divide: 25 Percent Of Chicagoans Aren't Online

CHICAGO (AP) -- Spanish-speaking Latinos in Chicago are far less likely to use the Internet than their English-speaking counterparts.

That's one conclusion of a new study on Internet use in Chicago. The report, called "Digital Excellence in Chicago: A City-Wide View," is co-authored by Karen Mossberger of the University of Illinois at Chicago and researchers at the University of Iowa.

Overall, the study found that 25 percent of all Chicagoans don't use the Internet.

In a citywide survey, the study found that only 39 percent of Spanish-speaking Latinos are Internet users. That compares to 79 percent among English-speaking respondents.

Disparities between blacks and whites aren't large as far as overall use. But fewer blacks have access to the Internet at home.

-ASSOCIATED PRESS