1 PEW RESEARCH CENTER FOR RELEASE APRIL 30, 2020 BY Emily Vogels, Andrew Perrin, Lee Rainie and Monica Anderson FOR MEDIA OR OTHER INQUIRIES: Lee Rainie, Director, Internet and Technology Research Monica Anderson, Associate Director Haley Nolan, Communications Associate 202.419.4372 www.pewresearch.org RECOMMENDED CITATION Pew Research Center, April 30, 2020. “53% of Americans Say the Internet Has Been Essential During the COVID-19 Outbreak” www.pewresearch.org 2 PEW RESEARCH CENTER About Pew Research Center Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. It does not take policy positions. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, content analysis and other data-driven social science research. The Center studies U.S. politics and policy; journalism and media; internet, science and technology; religion and public life; Hispanic trends; global attitudes and trends; and U.S. social and demographic trends. All of the Center’s reports are available at www.pewresearch.org. Pew Research Center is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts, its primary funder. © Pew Research Center 2020 www.pewresearch.org 3 PEW RESEARCH CENTER How we did this Pew Research Center conducted this study to understand how Americans think about the role of the internet and cellphones amid the coronavirus outbreak. For this analysis, we surveyed 4,917 U.S. adults from April 7 to 12, 2020. Everyone who took part is a member of Pew Research Center’s American Trends Panel (ATP), an online survey panel that is recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses. This way nearly all U.S. adults have a chance of selection. This gives us confidence that any sample can represent the whole U.S. adult population (see our Methods 101 explainer on random sampling). The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other categories. Read more about the ATP’s methodology. Portions of this analysis cover different income groups. To create the upper-, middle- and lowerincome tiers used in this report, family incomes based on 2018 earnings were adjusted for differences in purchasing power by geographic region and for household sizes. Middle income is defined as two-thirds to double the median annual income for all panelists. Lower income falls below that range; upper income falls above it. For more information about how the income tiers were determined, please read this. See here to read more about the questions used for this report and the report’s methodology. www.pewresearch.org 4 PEW RESEARCH CENTER The coronavirus outbreak has driven many commercial and social activities online and for some the internet has become an ever more crucial link to those they love and the things they need. A new Pew Research Center survey conducted in early April finds that roughly half of U.S. adults (53%) say the internet has been essential for them personally during the pandemic and another 34% describe it as “important, but not essential.” Roughly half of adults say the internet has been essential to them during the coronavirus outbreak … % of U.S. adults who say the internet has been __ to them personally during the coronavirus outbreak As Americans turn to the … but majorities do not think it is government’s internet for critical purposes, responsibility to ensure connectivity for all there are rekindled debates % of U.S. adults who say the federal government __ to ensure all Americans about how the digital divide – have each of the following during the coronavirus outbreak that is, the gap between those who do or do not have access to technology – may hinder people’s ability to complete everyday tasks or even Note: Those who did not give an answer are not shown. schoolwork. Most recently, Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted April 7-12, 2020. “53% of Americans Say the Internet Has Been Essential During the COVID-19 Outbreak” President Donald Trump PEW RESEARCH CENTER announced plans to address broadband connectivity in future economic relief efforts related to the outbreak. The new national survey of 4,917 U.S. adults conducted April 7 to 12 using the Center’s American Trends Panel explores public attitudes about the role of government in addressing these issues and finds that a majority of Americans (62%) do not think it is the federal government’s responsibility www.pewresearch.org 5 PEW RESEARCH CENTER to ensure that all Americans have a high-speed internet connection at home during the COVID-19 outbreak. And a similar share (65%) do not think the federal government should be responsible for ensuring cellphone services to all. There are partisan differences when it comes to views about the government’s role in ensuring internet and mobile connectivity during this time. Roughly half of Democrats and independents who lean to the Democratic Party (52%) say it is the federal government’s responsibility to ensure that all Americans have a high-speed internet connection at home during the outbreak, and 45% think it is the government’s responsibility to ensure that people have cellphone services. By comparison, smaller shares of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents hold this view about the government ensuring home broadband access (22%) or cellphone services (21%). As most schools around the nation have closed and classes and assignments have shifted online, some policymakers have raised concerns about how less digitally connected students will fare in this new learning environment. When asked about the role of schools in providing technology to students, 37% of adults say K-12 schools have a responsibility to provide all students with laptop While most Americans say schools should provide or tablet computers in order to computers to at least some students during outbreak, help them complete their parties divided on if this should be done for all schoolwork at home during the % of U.S. adults who say that K-12 schools have a responsibility to provide laptops or tablet computers to __ in order to help them complete schoolwork COVID-19 outbreak. And 43% at home during the coronavirus outbreak think schools have this responsibility, but only for students whose families cannot afford it. In total, 80% of Americans think schools have this obligation to at least some students, while about one-inNote: Those who did not give an answer are not shown. five (19%) say they do not have Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted April 7-12, 2020. this responsibility to any “53% of Americans Say the Internet Has Been Essential During the COVID-19 Outbreak” students. PEW RESEARCH CENTER While majorities of both Democrats and Republicans - including independents, who lean towards these parties - believe that schools have a responsibility to provide technology to at least some students to help them complete their schoolwork, there are partisan differences when it comes to the idea of providing laptops or tablets to all students. Some 45% of Democrats believe schools www.pewresearch.org 6 PEW RESEARCH CENTER should be obligated to provide computers to all students during the outbreak, compared with 28% of Republicans. Meanwhile, Republicans are more likely than Democrats to believe schools do not have a responsibility to provide computers to any students (29% vs. 11%). Amid concerns that students’ learning may be harmed due to the widespread school closures, the early April survey also finds that 94% of parents who have children in elementary, middle or high school say their children’s school is currently closed due to the outbreak. And a portion of these parents say it is at least somewhat likely their children will struggle with schoolwork because of technology limitations. Overall, roughly one-in-five parents with homebound schoolchildren say it is very or somewhat likely their children will not be able complete their schoolwork because they do not have access to a computer at home (21%) or have to use public Wi-Fi to finish their schoolwork because there is not a reliable internet connection at home (22%). And about threein-ten parents (29%) report that it is at least somewhat likely their children will have to do their schoolwork on a cellphone. Many parents with lower incomes say it’s likely their child will face digital obstacles when trying to do schoolwork at home during outbreak Among parents with children whose schools are closed, % who say it is very or somewhat likely that as their children do their schoolwork at home during the coronavirus outbreak, they will … Have to do their schoolwork on a Parents whose cellphone child's school 29 is closed Upper income Middle income Lower income Rural Suburban Urban 10 Have to use public Wi-Fi to finish their schoolwork because there is not a reliable internet connection at home 22 21 6 13 24 4 14 43 40 33 22 Not be able to complete their schoolwork because they do not have access to a computer at home 36 31 14 24 12 36 30 33 These concerns are especially Note: Only parents of elementary, middle and high school students whose school is prevalent among parents with currently closed were asked this question. Family income tiers are based on adjusted 1 lower incomes. Some 43% of 2018 earnings. Those who did not give an answer or who gave other responses are not shown. lower-income parents with Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted April 7-12, 2020. children whose schools shut “53% of Americans Say the Internet Has Been Essential During the COVID-19 Outbreak” down say it is very or somewhat PEW RESEARCH CENTER likely their children will have to do schoolwork on their cellphones; 40% report the same likelihood of their child having to use 1 Family incomes are based on 2018 earnings and adjusted for differences in purchasing power by geographic region and for household sizes. Middle income is defined here as two-thirds to double the median annual income for all panelists. Lower income falls below that range; upper income falls above it. www.pewresearch.org 7 PEW RESEARCH CENTER public Wi-Fi to finish schoolwork because there is not a reliable internet connection at home, and about one-third (36%) say it is at least somewhat likely their children will not be able to complete schoolwork because they do not have access to a computer at home. At the same time, rural and urban parents whose children’s schools have closed are more likely than their suburban counterparts to think that it is at least somewhat likely their children will struggle with their schoolwork because of lack of digital resources at home. This survey conducted April 7 to 12 also covered another key aspect of the digital divide: whether Americans are worried about their ability to pay their internet or cellphone bills over the coming months.2 Some 28% of those who have a high-speed connection at home say they worry a lot or some about paying for this service over the next few months, and 30% of smartphone owners say they worry at least some about paying their cellphone bill. Hispanic or black broadband or smartphone users and those with lower incomes are especially likely to say they worry about these types of bills. 2 In this survey, the questions relating to people with cellphone service were asked of those who say they have smartphones. www.pewresearch.org 8 PEW RESEARCH CENTER The vast majority of Americans view the impact of the internet positively, and nearly ninein-ten say it’s been an essential or important tool during the coronavirus outbreak There is evidence that some people are using the internet more in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak and that new kinds of online activities are gaining popularity. The early April survey examines how this might be affecting people’s overall views about the role of the internet in their lives and in society, more broadly. Asked to state their views when Most Americans say the internet has been mostly a they add up all the advantages positive thing for them and society, but more say it’s and disadvantages of the been good for them, than society internet for them personally, % of U.S. adults who say the internet has mostly been a __ for … nine-in-ten Americans say the Bad thing Good thing internet has mostly been a good thing for them. At the same Them personally 90 10 time, 78% believe it has been a Society 21 78 mostly good thing for society. As has been true in previous Center Note: Those who did not give an answer are not shown. surveys, the public is more likely Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted April 7-12, 2020. “53% of Americans Say the Internet Has Been Essential During the COVID-19 Outbreak” to say the internet has been a PEW RESEARCH CENTER bad thing for society than a bad thing for them personally (21% vs. 10%). This overall positive view of the internet is shared by vast majorities across each of the major demographic groups surveyed. www.pewresearch.org 9 PEW RESEARCH CENTER Americans were also asked how important the internet has been for them during the coronavirus pandemic. Fully 87% of adults say the internet has been at least important for them personally during the coronavirus outbreak, including 53% who describe it as essential. Relatively few Americans – 13% – think the internet has been not too or not at all important for them during the outbreak. Majorities across all demographic groups consider the internet at least important during this time, but there are some distinctions on whether they have found it be essential. Roughly two-thirds of adults under the age of 50 say the internet has been essential for them during the outbreak, compared with 49% of adults ages 50 to 64 and 31% of adults age 65 and older. Hispanic adults, college graduates and adults under 50 are especially likely to say the internet has been essential during the coronavirus outbreak % of U.S. adults who say the internet has been __ for them personally during the coronavirus outbreak Important, but not essential 34 Essential U.S. adults Ages 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+ 53 62 65 49 25 29 36 31 49 White Black Hispanic Upper income Middle income Lower income HS or less Some college College+ Rural Suburban Urban Rep/Lean Rep Dem/Lean Dem 50 52 65 63 52 49 13 17 11 29 35 36 8 13 15 38 36 52 44 54 57 46 59 14 7 15 20 37 31 25 42 65 Not too/ not at all important 13 28 20 12 6 39 33 32 16 13 10 37 31 16 10 There are also some differences White and black adults include only those who are non-Hispanic. Hispanics are of any by education level. Some 65% of Note: race. Family income tiers are based on adjusted 2018 earnings. Those who did not give an answer are not shown. college graduates say the Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted April 7-12, 2020. internet has been essential “53% of Americans Say the Internet Has Been Essential During the COVID-19 Outbreak” during the outbreak, compared PEW RESEARCH CENTER with 52% of adults with some college education and 42% of those with a high school education or less. Upper-income adults, Hispanics, and urban or suburban residents are also particularly likely to describe the internet as essential for them during the coronavirus outbreak. www.pewresearch.org 10 PEW RESEARCH CENTER Roughly half of Americans with lower incomes are worried about paying their broadband and cellphone bills over the coming months With numerous everyday tasks being driven online, there is renewed attention on the impact of the digital divide. Before the pandemic, Center surveys showed that there is still a share of the population that is not digitally connected in some way. Other Pew Research Center reports show that many Americans face substantial new financial struggles because of this outbreak. About half say the coronavirus poses a major threat to their personal finances, and, as of early April, 43% of Americans say that someone in their household has lost their job or experienced a pay cut. Hispanic and lower-income tech users are especially worried about paying home broadband, cellphone bills % of home broadband and smartphone users who say they worry a lot or some about paying their bills over the next few months for … In light of this, the new survey asked digital technology users how worried they are about being able to pay for their highspeed internet connection in their home and the cellphone services over the next few months. Some 28% of home broadband users say they have Note: White and black adults include only non-Hispanics. Hispanics are of any race. Family some (19%) or a lot of worry income tiers are based on adjusted 2018 earnings. Those who did not give an answer are (9%) about affording this not shown. Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted April 7-12, 2020. expense over the next few “53% of Americans Say the Internet Has Been Essential During the COVID-19 Outbreak” months. And 30% of PEW RESEARCH CENTER smartphone users say they worry a lot (11%) or some (18%) about paying their cellphone bills. www.pewresearch.org 11 PEW RESEARCH CENTER Americans with lower incomes are especially likely to express concern about broadband and cellphone bills. Roughly half of lower-income broadband users (52%) say they worry a lot or some about being able to pay for their high-speed internet connection over the coming months, compared with 26% of those with incomes in the middle and just 9% of those in the high-income tier. Among smartphone owners, 54% of those who have lower incomes say they worry at least some about paying their cellphone bills, compared with 25% of those who are middle income and just 9% of upper-income users. At the same time, Hispanic adults are particularly likely to express concerns about paying their tech-related bills. For example, 54% of Hispanic broadband users say they worry about being able to pay for their home internet services, compared with 36% of black users and 21% of white users. Similar patterns are present when asked about worries related to paying cellphone bills over the next few months, with Hispanic smartphone owners being more likely than their black or white counterparts to say they worry about this. There are also some differences by age. Broadband and smartphone users ages 18 to 64 are more likely than those ages 65 and up to say they worry about being able to pay their internet or cellphone bills. www.pewresearch.org 12 PEW RESEARCH CENTER Democrats are more inclined than Republicans to believe the government has a responsibility to ensure internet and mobile connectivity during this time A central question in the digital divide debate is what role, if any, should government play in helping those without access. More recently, some states have started to subsidize broadband access for those who currently lack access, while President Trump announced plans to tackle connectivity issues during the outbreak. Overall, a majority of Americans in this early April survey say it is not the responsibility of the federal government to ensure that all Americans have a highspeed internet connection (62%) or cellphone service (65%) amid the pandemic, while about fourin-ten believe that the government should bear this responsibility. Democrats more likely than Republicans to think the government should be responsible for ensuring home broadband, cellphone services amid COVID-19 % of U.S. adults who say the federal government has or does not have the responsibility to ensure all Americans have __ during the coronavirus outbreak While there is not clear majority support among either party for this, Democrats and independents who lean toward the Democratic Party are more likely than their Republican and Republican-leaning counterparts to believe that the Note: Those who did not give an answer are not shown. Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted April 7-12, 2020. government should have a role “53% of Americans Say the Internet Has Been Essential During the COVID-19 Outbreak” in providing these services. PEW RESEARCH CENTER Roughly half of Democrats (52%) say the federal government has a responsibility to ensure that all Americans have a high-speed internet connection at home during the COVID-19 outbreak, while just 22% of Republicans hold his view. Democrats are also about twice as likely as Republicans to believe the federal government has responsibility to provide cellphone service for all Americans amid this crisis (45% vs. 21%). www.pewresearch.org 13 PEW RESEARCH CENTER There are also differences within the Republican Party by income. Among Republicans and Republican leaners, 36% of those with lower incomes say the federal government has a responsibility to ensure that all Americans have a high-speed internet connection at home during this pandemic, compared with 20% of those in the middle-income tier and just 13% of those who in the upper income tier. When asked about their views about ensuring cellphone services, 35% of lower-income Republicans and Republican leaners agree that the government bears this responsibility, while smaller shares of middle- and upper-income Republicans say this (19% and 13%, respectively). By comparison, there are more modest differences found between upper- and lower-income Democrats. Broadband users who express concern about affording their high-speed internet bill in the coming months are more likely than those who are less worried about their internet connectivity bills to back the idea that the federal government should ensure high-speed internet access during the coronavirus outbreak (52% vs. 31%). Similarly, smartphone users who say they worry about affording their cellphone bills for the next few months are more likely than those who are less worried about their phone bills to say that they think the federal government has a responsibility to ensure that all Americans have cellphone service during the coronavirus (47% vs. 29%). www.pewresearch.org 14 PEW RESEARCH CENTER Americans mostly believe that K-12 schools should provide computers to at least some students during the COVID-19 outbreak In this more challenging education environment, the question becomes: Should school systems provide technology to K-12 students? When asked about schools’ responsibility to provide laptop or tablet computers to students in order to help them complete their schoolwork at home during the coronavirus outbreak, 37% of Americans say K-12 schools have this responsibility to all students, and 43% say they are only responsible for providing these resources to students whose families cannot afford them. By comparison, 19% believe schools do not have this responsibility to any students. While majorities of both Democrats and Republicans say schools have the responsibility to provide computers to at least some students, there are partisan differences when it comes to whether this should be available to all students. Democrats and the independents who lean Democratic are more likely than Republicans and their leaners to say schools have this responsibility to all students (45% vs. 28%). Democrats more likely than Republicans to say schools have a responsibility to provide all students with computers during the COVID-19 outbreak % of U.S. adults who say that K-12 schools have a responsibility to provide laptops or tablet computers to __ in order to help them complete schoolwork at home during the coronavirus outbreak All students Rep/Lean Rep Dem/Lean Dem 28 45 Only for students whose families cannot afford it Schools do not have this responsibility 42 44 29 11 Note: Those who did not give an answer are not shown. Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted April 7-12, 2020. PEW RESEARCH CENTER At the same time, 29% of Republicans (compared with 11% of Democrats) say schools do not have a responsibility to provide computers to any students during the COVID-19 outbreak. www.pewresearch.org 15 PEW RESEARCH CENTER Acknowledgments This report is a collaborative effort based on the input and analysis of the following individuals. Find related reports online at pewresearch.org/internet. Primary researchers Emily A. Vogels, Research Associate Andrew Perrin, Research Analyst Lee Rainie, Director, Internet and Technology Research Monica Anderson, Associate Director Research team Brooke Auxier, Research Associate Erica Turner, Research Intern Courtney Johnson, Research Associate Editorial and graphic design Margaret Porteus, Information Graphics Designer Aleksandra Sandstrom, Copy Editor Communications and web publishing Haley Nolan, Communications Associate Reem Nadeem, Associate Digital Producer In addition, the project benefited greatly from the guidance of Pew Research Center’s methodology team: Courtney Kennedy, Nick Bertoni, Joshua Ferno, Nick Hatley and Arnold Lau, as well as feedback from the following Pew Research Center staff: Aaron Smith, Jocelyn Kiley, Hannah Hartig, Ted Van Green and Juliana Horowitz. www.pewresearch.org 16 PEW RESEARCH CENTER Methodology The American Trends Panel (ATP), created by Pew Research Center, is a nationally representative panel of randomly selected U.S. adults. Panelists participate via self-administered web surveys. Panelists who do not have internet access at home are provided with a tablet and wireless internet connection. The panel is being managed by Ipsos. Data in this report is drawn from the panel wave conducted April 7 to April 12, 2020. A total of 4,917 panelists responded out of 6,092 who were sampled, for a response rate of 81%. This does not include one panelist who was removed from the data American Trends Panel recruitment surveys Active due to extremely high rates of panelists refusal or straightlining. The Recruitment dates Mode Invited Joined remaining Landline/ cumulative response rate Jan. 23 to March 16, 2014 cell RDD 9,809 5,338 2,310 accounting for nonresponse to Landline/ Aug. 27 to Oct. 4, 2015 6,004 2,976 1,335 cell RDD the recruitment surveys and Landline/ attrition is 4.4%. The break-off April 25 to June 4, 2017 cell RDD 3,905 1,628 685 Aug. 8 to Oct. 31, 2018 ABS/web 9,396 8,778 6,411 rate among panelists who Aug. 19 to Nov. 30, 2019 ABS/web 5,900 4,720 4,686 logged on to the survey and Total 35,014 23,440 15,427 completed at least one item is Note: Approximately once per year, panelists who have not participated in multiple 1.7%. The margin of sampling consecutive waves or who did not complete an annual profiling survey are removed from the error for the full sample of panel. Panelists also become inactive if they ask to be removed from the panel. 4,917 respondents is plus or PEW RESEARCH CENTER minus 2.1 percentage points. This study featured a stratified random sample from the ATP. The sampling strata were defined by the following variables: age, ethnicity, education, country of birth (among Hispanics), internet status, party affiliation, voter registration and volunteerism. The ATP was created in 2014, with the first cohort of panelists invited to join the panel at the end of a large, national, landline and cellphone random-digit-dial survey that was conducted in both English and Spanish. Two additional recruitments were conducted using the same method in 2015 and 2017, respectively. Across these three surveys, a total of 19,718 adults were invited to join the ATP, of which 9,942 agreed to participate. www.pewresearch.org 17 PEW RESEARCH CENTER In August 2018, the ATP switched from telephone to address-based recruitment. Invitations were sent to a random, address-based sample (ABS) of households selected from the U.S. Postal Service’s Delivery Sequence File. In each household, the adult with the next birthday was asked to go online to complete a survey, at the end of which they were invited to join the panel. For a random half-sample of invitations, households without internet access were instructed to return a postcard. These households were contacted by telephone and sent a tablet if they agreed to participate. A total of 9,396 were invited to join the panel, and 8,778 agreed to join the panel and completed an initial profile survey. The same recruitment procedure was carried out on Aug. 19, 2019, from which a total of 5,900 were invited to join the panel and 4,720 agreed to join the panel and completed an initial profile survey. Of the 23,440 individuals who have ever joined the ATP, 15,427 remained active panelists and continued to receive survey invitations at the time this survey was conducted. The U.S. Postal Service’s Delivery Sequence File has been estimated to cover as much as 98% of the population, although some studies suggest that the coverage could be in the low 90% range.3 The American Trends Panel never uses breakout routers or chains that direct respondents to additional surveys. 3 AAPOR Task Force on Address-based Sampling. 2016. “AAPOR Report: Address-based Sampling.” www.pewresearch.org 18 PEW RESEARCH CENTER Weighting The ATP data was weighted in a multistep process that begins with a base weight incorporating the respondents’ original selection probability. The next step in the weighting uses an iterative technique that aligns the sample to population benchmarks on the dimensions listed in the accompanying table. Weighting dimensions Variable Gender Age Benchmark source 2018 American Community Survey Education Sampling errors and tests of statistical significance take into account the effect of weighting. Interviews are conducted in both English and Spanish. In addition to sampling error, one should bear in mind that question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of opinion polls. Race/Hispanic origin Country of birth among Hispanics Years lived in the United States among Hispanics Home internet access Region x 2019 CPS March Metropolitan status Supplement Volunteerism 2017 CPS Volunteering & Civic Life Supplement Voter registration 2018 CPS Voting and Registration Supplement Party affiliation Average of the three most recent Pew Research Center telephone surveys. Note: Estimates from the ACS are based on non-institutionalized adults. Voter registration is calculated using procedures from Hur, Achen (2013) and rescaled to include the total US adult population. PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org 19 PEW RESEARCH CENTER The following table shows the unweighted sample sizes and the error attributable to sampling that would be expected at the 95% level of confidence for different groups in the survey: Unweighted sample size 4,917 Plus or minus … 2.1 percentage points Men Women 2,229 2,679 3.3 percentage points 2.8 percentage points White, non-Hispanic Black, non-Hispanic Hispanic 3,551 443 558 2.5 percentage points 6.8 percentage points 6.9 percentage points Ages 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+ 533 1,496 1,515 1,355 6.1 percentage points 3.8 percentage points 3.8 percentage points 3.9 percentage points Lower income Middle income Upper income 909 2,186 1,607 4.6 percentage points 3.1 percentage points 3.6 percentage points Rural Suburban Urban 1,110 2,533 1,264 4.3 percentage points 3.0 percentage points 4.3 percentage points Group Total sample Group Republican/Lean Republican Democrat/Lean Democrat Unweighted sample size 2,034 2,764 Weighted % 45 51 Plus or minus … 3.2 percentage points 3.0 percentage points Sample sizes and sampling errors for other subgroups are available upon request. © Pew Research Center, 2020 www.pewresearch.org 20 PEW RESEARCH CENTER Appendix To create upper-, middle- and lower-income tiers, respondents’ 2018 family incomes were adjusted for differences in purchasing power by geographic region and for household size. “Middle-income” adults live in families with annual incomes that are two-thirds to double the median family income in the American Trends Panel (after incomes have been adjusted for the local cost of living and for household size). The middle-income range for the panel is about $37,500 to $112,600 annually for a three-person household. Lower-income families have incomes less than roughly $37,500, and upper-income families have incomes greater than roughly $112,600. Based on these adjustments, among respondents who provided their income and household size, 32% fall into the lower-income tier, 45% in the middle-income tier and 23% fall in the upperincome tier. For more information about how the income tiers were determined, please see here. www.pewresearch.org 21 PEW RESEARCH CENTER Topline questionnaire 2020 PEW RESEARCH CENTER’S AMERICAN TRENDS PANEL WAVE 65 APRIL 2020 FINAL TOPLINE APRIL 7-12, 2020 TOTAL N=4,917 THE QUESTIONS PRESENTED BELOW ARE PART OF A LARGER SURVEY CONDUCTED ON THE AMERICAN TRENDS PANEL. OTHER QUESTIONS ON THIS SURVEY HAVE BEEN PREVIOUSLY RELEASED OR HELD FOR FUTURE RELEASE. NOTE: ALL NUMBERS ARE PERCENTAGES UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. THE PERCENTAGES LESS THAN 0.5% ARE REPLACED BY AN ASTERISK (*). ROWS/COLUMNS MAY NOT TOTAL 100% DUE TO ROUNDING. U.S. adults ASK ALL: COVIDSCHL1 Apr 7-12, 2020 37 43 19 1 ASK ALL: PARENTK12 Apr 7-12, 2020 24 76 * Sample size 4,917 Margin of error at 95% confidence level +/- 2.1 percentage points Do you think K-12 schools have a responsibility to provide students with laptop or tablet computers in order to help them complete their schoolwork at home during the coronavirus outbreak? Yes, schools have this responsibility to all students Yes, schools have this responsibility, but only for students whose family cannot afford it No, schools do not have this responsibility No answer Are you a parent or guardian of any children who are now enrolled in elementary, middle or high school and who live in your household? Yes No No answer www.pewresearch.org 22 PEW RESEARCH CENTER ASK IF PARENT/GUARDIAN OF K-12 STUDENT (PARENTK12=1) [N=1,139]: COVIDSCHL2 Are your children’s schools currently closed due to the coronavirus outbreak? Apr 7-12, 2020 94 2 1 3 * Yes, school is closed No, school is not closed but I expect that it will close No, school is not closed and I do not expect that it will close My children are homeschooled No answer ASK IF CHILDREN’S SCHOOL IS CLOSED (COVIDSCHL2=1): [N=1,079]: COVIDSCHL7 As your children do their schoolwork at home due to the coronavirus outbreak, how likely, if at all, is it that they will… [RANDOMIZE ITEMS] a. b. c. Very likely Somewhat likely Not too likely Not at all likely No answer Have to use public Wi-Fi to finish their schoolwork because there is not a reliable internet connection at home Apr 7-12, 2020 11 11 16 61 1 Not be able to complete their schoolwork because they do not have access to a computer at home Apr 7-12, 2020 9 11 16 62 1 14 15 21 49 1 Have to do their schoolwork on a cellphone Apr 7-12, 2020 www.pewresearch.org 23 PEW RESEARCH CENTER ASK ALL: COVWEBSOC Overall, when you add up all the advantages and disadvantages of the internet, would you say the internet has mostly been a good thing or a bad thing for… [RANDOMIZE ITEMS] a. Society Apr 7-12, 2020 b. You, personally Apr 7-12, 2020 ASK ALL: COVINTESS Apr 7-12, 2020 53 34 10 3 * ASK ALL: COVDIGGOV Good thing Bad thing No answer 78 21 1 90 10 1 How important, if at all, has the internet been for YOU PERSONALLY during the coronavirus outbreak? Essential Important, but not essential Not too important Not at all important No answer Do you think the federal government has a responsibility to ensure that all Americans have each of the following during the coronavirus outbreak? [RANDOMIZE ITEMS a-b] a. High-speed internet connection at home Apr 7-12, 2020 b. Cellphone services Apr 7-12, 2020 Yes, the federal government has this responsibility No, the federal government does not have this responsibility No answer 37 62 1 34 65 1 www.pewresearch.org 24 PEW RESEARCH CENTER ASK ALL: COVPAYTECH How much, if at all, do you worry about being able to pay for each of the following over the next few months? [RANDOMIZE ITEMS] A lot Some Not too much Not at all No answer ASK IF HAS HIGHER SPEED BROADBAND SERVICES (BBHOME1=2) [N=4,460]: a. High-speed internet connection at home Apr 7-12, 2020 9 19 28 44 * ASK IF HAS A SMARTPHONE (SMARTPHONE=1)[N=4,569]: b. Your cellphone bill Apr 7-12, 2020 11 18 * www.pewresearch.org 27 43