Preference for internet at home in a disadvantaged neighbourhood

Abstract

Although most households are equipped with digital information and communication technologies (DICT), a significant digital divide remains in internet access at home along income and digital native/immigrant status. Previous research has mainly investigated whether this digital inequality is attributable to constraints such as technological availability or financial resources. This article examines the extent to which digital inequality of internet access at home is preference-driven by comparing internet preference with other housing preferences and investigating the effect heterogeneity of social status on internet preference. We analyse a dataset comprising 131 residents of a disadvantaged neighbourhood in Bochum, Germany. This neighbourhood provides a suitable setting, as internet access is available throughout the area but varies between individual households. Using a factorial survey with housing vignettes, we assess the importance of internet preference. This research design circumvents many of the difficulties in measuring housing preferences, such as unrealistic wishful thinking, and facilitates the investigation of effect heterogeneity in terms of social status characteristics. The results show that the preference for internet access at home is comparable to that of other housing amenities and does not vary according to age, income or the presence of children. The findings reinforce the importance of the financial constraint-driven causes of the digital divide.