The Digital Divide Hits U.S. Immigrant Households Disproportionately during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has starkly revealed the digital divide between immigrant and U.S.-born residents, i.e. the gulf between those who have ready access to computers and the internet and those who do not,  The Migration Policy Institute’s article “The Digital Divide Hits U.S. Immigrant Households Disproportionately during the COVID-19 Pandemic” utilizes available data sources such as the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) and the Pew Research Center to show that just 12 percent of the non-English-speaking foreign-born had high levels of digital proficiency and access to digital tools compared to 36 percent of the U.S.-born. It found that one-tenth of families headed by Hispanic immigrants had no access to the internet in 2016, twice the rate of non-Hispanic White residents, and that “fragmented knowledge” may allow immigrants to perform some everyday digital tasks, like pay bills, but could restrict them from developing deeper skills required for a range of functions, like filling out an application form. Among children, the article found that children of Hispanic immigrants were 18 percent less likely to have a computer in the home compared to children of U.S.-born Hispanics, and that immigrant Latino families were more likely than native-born Latinos to report needing one-on-one tutoring during the pandemic. The article laments that national policies do not appear to be addressing the disproportionate impact of the digital divide on immigrants. It’s important for the government to recognize that the digital divide, if not bridged, will limit the access of immigrant families to employment, education, relationship-maintenance and health care.

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