Too bad I don’t lead a community foundation

The Pew Internet & American Life Project will present a media learning seminar about the information ecosystems of communities at the end of this month.

 

The new research looks at citizen experiences and attitudes in Macon, Philadelphia, and Santa Clara about local media and institutions. It explores the ways local news organizations, governments, libraries, and other anchor institutions are serving the information appetites of their communities.

Even though I’d like to be there, I’m not invited because I don’t lead a community foundation.

Still, from my own computer I get lots of information from the Pew Center, such as this report on the use of the internet in higher-income households :

• Higher-income households are more likely to own more internet-ready devices and to have broadband access than their less wealthy counterparts.  (Well, it's a good idea to confirm the obvious.)
• "79% of the internet users in the higher earning bracket have visited a government website at the local, state or federal level versus 56% of those who fall into the lowest-income group ."
• "Internet users in the top income brackets are more likely to search for medical information online, seek treatment information, seek material about doctors and medical facilities, and get data concerning test results."  (Speculation: Maybe that’s because lower household income correlates to lower likelihood to have health insurance? If your coverage is good, it pays to try to find the most effective treatment, rather than what your insurance company dictates or what you can pay out of pocket.)

 

The report separates out the internet use statistics for ultra-high income households.

 

 

Also, have a look at the Pew reports on social and demographic trends, because, as Benjamin Franklin said, "An investment in knowledge pays the best interest."