Indicator 17.8.1 - Proportion of individuals using the Internet
Proportion of US individuals using the Internet (age 3 and over)
Proportion of US individuals using the Internet (age 3 and over)
Global Metadata
This table provides information on metadata for SDG indicators as defined by the United Nations Statistical Commission. Complete global metadata documentation on all indicators in Goal 17, unless otherwise noted, is provided by the UN Statistics Division.
| SDG Indicator Name | Proportion of individuals using the Internet |
|---|---|
| SDG Target Addressed | Fully operationalize the technology bank and science, technology and innovation capacity-building mechanism for least developed countries by 2017 and enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology. |
| Definition of SDG Indicator | This indicator is defined as the proportion of individuals who used the Internet from any location in the last three months. The Internet is a worldwide public computer network. It provides access to a number of communication services including the World Wide Web and carries e-mail, news, entertainment and data files, irrespective of the device used (not assumed to be only via a computer _ it may also be by mobile telephone, tablet, PDA, games machine, digital TV etc.). Access can be via a fixed or mobile network. For countries that collect data on this indicator through an official survey, this indicator is calculated by dividing the total number of in-scope individuals using the Internet (from any location) in the last 3 months by the total number of in-scope individuals. For countries that have not carried out an official survey, data are estimated (by ITU) based on the number of Internet subscriptions and other socioeconomic indicators such as for example GNI per capita, and on the time series data of the indicator. |
| UN Designated Tier | 1 |
| UN Custodial Agency | ITU |
U.S. Metadata
This table provides metadata for the actual indicator available from U.S. statistics closest to the corresponding global SDG indicator. Please note that even when the global SDG indicator is fully available from U.S. statistics, this table should be consulted for information on national methodology and other US-specific metadata information
| Method of computation for global SDG indicator | |
|---|---|
| Graph Title | Proportion of US individuals using the Internet (age 3 and over) |
| Actual indicator available | Proportion of individuals using the Internet |
| Description of actual indicator available | Proportion of individuals using the Internet, age 3 and over |
| Method of computation | Data are derived from the 1) Computer and Internet Use and 2) School Enrollment and Internet Use Supplements of the Current Population Survey (CPS). The Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics jointly sponsor the CPS. The Census Bureau and National Center for Education Statistics jointly sponsored the 2003, 2007, and 2009-2010 supplements. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration sponsored the 2011-2013 and 2015 supplements. Data are collected by the Census Bureau. Individuals using the Internet: Persons age 3 and over who use the Internet from any location. Metadata sources: http://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps/technical-documentation/complete.html |
| Comments and limitations | The next CPS Computer and Internet Use Supplement is scheduled for 2017-11. |
| Periodicity | Annual or biennial |
| Time Period | The 2015 questionnaire asked about Internet use during the past 6 months. Earlier questionnaires did not specify a reference period. |
| Unit of measure | Proportion |
| Disaggregation #1 (Industry or social categories) | Available by age group, employment status, income (2010 forward), education, sex, race and Hispanic origin, disability status (2009 forward), metropolitan status, and whether school-aged child in household |
| Disaggregation #2 (Geographical coverage) | National and by state |
| Date of public data release from National source | October 2016 |
| Date of last Update of This Page | 2017-10-03 |
| Scheduled Update by National source | |
| Scheduled Update by SDG Team | |
| Data Source1 (Agency STAFF NAME) | Jamie Lewis |
| Data Source2 (Staff E-MAIL) | jamie.lewis-owen@census.gov |
| Data Source3 (Agency/Survey/Dataset name) | U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey Internet Use Supplements |
| Indicator web address (closest to data provided) | Web source: NTIA Digital Nation Data Explorer https://www.ntia.doc.gov/data/digital-nation-data-explorer |
| International and National References | NA |