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U.S. Teens and Technology



A. SURVEY OVERVIEW AND METHODS

In conjunction with CNN, USA Today, and the National Science Foundation, the Gallup Organization conducted a national survey of 744 children in grades 7 through 12 -- mostly comprised of students in the "teenage" years of 13 to 17. Telephone interviews were conducted from March 20-27, 1997 from Gallup interviewing centers throughout the country. The focus of the survey was on students' familiarity with and use of modern technology, with special attention given to use of computers and the Internet.

Students were selected at random for inclusion in the survey using a stratified nation-wide probability sample. Telephone numbers were randomly drawn from among all eligible residential phone numbers in the continental U.S. using random-digit dialing (RDD) sampling methodology.

A five-call design was employed in which the first step in the respondent selection design was contact with an adult within each household to determine the number of qualified students in grades seven through twelve living there. A student was then selected at random within each teen household to be interviewed and up to five calls were made to establish a teen interview within each selected household.

The margin of error for results based on the entire sample of 744 teens is plus or minus 4 percentage points, at the 95% confidence interval.

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B. MAJOR FINDINGS

U.S. Teens Are Oriented Toward Technology

The CNN/USA Today/National Science Foundation/Gallup survey suggests that American teenagers are very interested in and reliant on modern technology, both in the conduct of their daily lives and in terms of the subject matter that interests them at school. One might even say from the data that today's teens have an orientation toward technology.

Teenagers in 1997 have been widely exposed to computers and seem to be facile with a variety of electronic equipment. Teens also express a great deal of interest in computers, in math and science curriculum and in cutting edge technologies. In fact they seem to prefer math and sciences to the liberal arts (such as English and social studies) at school. At the same time, students indicate a willingness, perhaps even a desire, to develop better computer skills than what they feel they are currently getting at school. Most teens think strong computer skills and an understanding of technology will be essential tools for their future success. However, only a third of those surveyed feel their computer education in is on track to teach them all they need to know by the time they graduate from high school; the rest feel that their schools should be teaching them more.

Overall most teenagers feel quite comfortable with modern technology. A little more than two-thirds indicate they feel confident using computers; a little under two-thirds say they can usually conquer new electronic equipment or computer software on their own without asking for help. This suggests that roughly one-third of American teens might be viewed as computer deficient, at least in terms of their confidence in their own abilities.

Exposure to the Internet is less widespread than exposure to computers generally. Barely half of the teens surveyed (55%) say they have ever used the Internet and less than one-third (29%) have access to the Internet at home.

Taking into account the respondents' answers to a variety of questions about computers and technology, about one-quarter of all teens could be categorized as "Techno Whizzes," demonstrating heavy use of computers, heavy use of other types of electronics, high interest in science and technology, and strong computer skills. But another 46% of students express moderate to high computer smarts. Altogether about 70% of teens seem generally oriented toward computers.

Only 19% indicate minimal use and interest in computers; another 10% report moderate levels of use but low self-confidence with computers.


Key Findings Include the Following:

  • Virtually all teenagers (99%) say they have used a computer at some time in their lives,

  • 82% of teens think strong computer skills and an understanding of technology will be essential for their future success

  • 80% indicate they use a computer on at least a weekly basis

  • 77% would prefer to conduct research for a school report by surfing the Internet, rather than using books and magazines

  • 71% rate their computer confidence at a level of "6" or better on a scale from zero to ten, where ten is very confident and zero is not confident at all

  • 67% say they have a computer at home.

  • Roughly two-thirds consider space exploration, new advances in computers and advances in medical research to be exciting subjects they'd like to learn more about at school

  • 62% say they can usually figure out on their own how to operate a piece of electronic equipment or computer software rather than needing to ask for help

  • 59% would prefer to live in a house filled with high-tech equipment and appliances when they are adults rather than a "simpler" house

  • 58% would like to spend more time than they currently do using a computer

  • 55% have had the opportunity to use the Internet

  • 54% report that either they themselves or one of their siblings have the job of programming the VCR in their household, rather than a parent
The number of teenagers who say they use each of a variety of electronic technologies on a daily basis is shown below, along with the percent who feel that type of technology is critically important to have in their own home. Of the six types of technology, the computer is seen as the most important, beating out calculators and audio equipment. The computer is used on a daily basis by less than half of all teens, however.

           
                      Important       Critically       Importance
                      Use Daily    Important to own       Gap

Computer                44%              77%              +33 
Telephone
answering machine       46%              62%              +16 
VCR                     39%              51%              +12
Calculator              67%              71%              + 4
Stereo/CDs/Audio 
equipment               85%              69%              -16 
Video games             46%              18%              -28


Teens Have Modest Expectations for the Future

Would today's parents and grandparents have predicted the Internet in their youth or believed a sheep would be cloned in their lifetime? In spite of the abundance of high-tech advances that have come about in the last few years, today's teens have generally modest expectations for what science will accomplish in their lifetime. They have high tenets of belief in future advances in computer technologies and they are quite confident in the ability of medicine to cure some diseases. However, less than half of today's teens believe that certain major advances in space travel, military defense, human cloning, or human control of Mother Nature will be achieved.

Teens were asked in the survey to say whether or not they expected each of ten events to occur "in their lifetime," with the following results.

  • 82% think Americans will vote for President on the Internet

  • 76% think cancer will be cured

  • 63% think AIDS will be cured 45% think space travel will be common for ordinary Americans

  • 49% think every person, including kids, will have their own personal phone and phone number

  • 47% think most Americans will live to be more than 100

  • 42% think human cloning will be common

  • 39% think technology will be developed to prevent wars

  • 37% think natural disasters will be controlled or prevented by science



No Major Gender Gap in Teens' Relation to Technology

The survey finds relatively small differences between girls and boys in terms of their general orientation toward technology. Boys appear to have slightly more interest than girls in science and technology subjects in school, although the majority of girls as well as boys say they prefer math and science to English and social studies. Girls are just as likely as boys to believe a strong background in computers and technology will be important to their financial success in life.

Teenage boys and girls report equal levels of computer usage, similar levels of use of various electronics, and express equal levels of confidence in their computer skills.

Boys are much more likely than girls to say they play video games on a daily basis, but that difference is not carried over to computer use in general where about the same number of boys as girls say they use computers on a daily basis. Boys report a slightly greater amount of time on computers in the past week than do girls (4.7 vs. 4.1 hours), but the difference is mostly due to a small number of boys who report more than 20 hours weekly usage. The median computer usage is the same for both boys and girls: 2.0 hours. Boys however, appear to spend significantly more time than girls online, using services such as America Online or a web browser.


Those areas in which Teenage Boys and Girls are Most Similar Include the Following:

    Usage

  • 99% of both boys and girls have used a computer in their lifetime
  • 54% of boys and 56% of girls have ever used the Internet
  • Two-thirds of both boys and girls say their family has a computer at home
  • The average age they first used a computer is 9.1 years for boys and 8.9 for girls
  • 83% of boys and 86% of girls use stereo or audio equipment on a daily basis
  • Boys and girls are equally likely to have ever used a computer for word processing, for research on the Internet or for playing computer games


    Confidence

  • Boys and girls express nearly identical levels of confidence in using computers, with average scores (on a zero to 10 point scale) of 6.8 and 6.7 respectively. (Also, 35% of boys and 36% of girls score in the 8-10 range)
  • 63% of boys and 60% of girls say they usually conquer learning a new piece of equipment on their own
  • One-third of both boys and girls feel their computer/technology education is on track while about two thirds feel they should be learning a lot more


    Interest

  • 81% of boys and 83% of girls think strong computer skills and technology knowledge are necessary for them to make a good living in the future
  • Three-quarters of both boys and girls prefer the Internet to books or magazines as a research tool for school reports
  • Boys and girls place about equal importance on computers, television, and telephone answering machines as types of equipment they feel are critically important to own



Those Areas in Which Teenage Boys and Girls are Most Dissimilar Include the Following:
    Usage

  • On average, boys spend much more time than girls using online services each week: 4.3 hours for boys compared to 2.3 hours for girls
  • Girls are more likely than boys to program or retrieve messages from telephone answering machine on a daily basis: 51% of girls vs. 40% of boys.
  • Girls also spend much more time than boys talking on the telephone with friends: 7.6 hours per week vs. 5.6 hours.
  • Boys are much more likely than girls to play video or computer games on a daily basis: 50% of boys vs. 30% of girls.


    Interest

  • 67% of boys vs. 54% of girls consider space exploration to be so exciting that they would like to study more about it in school
  • 67% vs. 57% of girls are excited by and want to learn more about computer technology
  • 69% of girls compared to 62% of boys are excited by and want further study concerning hi-tech medical research, such as cloning
  • 59% of boys compared to 53% of girls say their favorite subjects in school are those that involve math and science, rather than English or social studies
  • Boys are slightly more likely than girls to prefer a hi-tech house to a simpler house: 62% vs. 56%



Economic Status has Limited Impact on Teens Ability with Computers

The survey suggests that teens from families earning more than $50,000 per year are much more likely than those in middle-income households or those earning less than $20,000 a year to have access to computers and the Internet at home. However, upper income teens report only modest advantages in terms of overall computer usage and ability, suggesting that the availability of computers at schools may partially compensate for the lack of home access.

Comparisons by level of income are shown below for each of the three areas of access, use, and confidence:

                                        HOUSEHOLD INCOME LEVELS
                                        
                                    High         Medium          Low
                                 ($50,000+)   ($20-49,999)  (Under $20,000)
                                        
Access to Computers
Have computer at home                83%           66%           38%
Have Internet access at home         51%           23%            9%

Use of Technology
Avg. hours used computer last week   4.8           4.6           3.7
Ever used the Internet               64%           51%           46%
Used Internet for 1+ hours in 
last week                            34%           25%           20%
Use computer on daily basis          50%           44%           37%
Use video games on daily basis       37%           41%           47%
Use VCR on daily basis               37%           41%           41%

Confidence in Using Computers
Learn new technologies on own        66%           59%           55%
Average confidence score 
(0-10 scale)                         6.8           6.7           6.9






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C. TEENAGERS AND TECHNOLOGY USE: A CLUSTER ANALYSIS

Teenagers' general orientation toward computers was analyzed using a statistical technique known as cluster analysis, which allows the respondents' answers to several questions to be analyzed all at the same time. For this survey, teenagers were grouped into categories along a spectrum of computer usage and literacy, using the following variables as input: frequency of use of internet, frequency of use of various technologies, ratings of various technologies as important or not, rating of own capability, confidence in using computers, home access to a computer and the internet, and favorite academic subjects. The following clusters emerged:

Cluster #1 -- The Techno-Whizzes (25% of all teens)

This group -- comprised almost equally of boys and girls (46% vs. 54%) -- are more than technological whizzes, they are top scholars, representing about the top quarter of their schools in overall achievement. Not only do the students in this group score higher than the other four groups on all the technology items measured, they are most likely to be involved in after school activities, have the highest educational aspirations after high school, and are more likely to rate themselves as a top student (25%) or an above average student (41%) than any of the other groups. They also have the highest access to computers at home (82%) and the highest at-home access to the internet (46%). In the past week, they spent an average of 7.0 hours on the computer, about half of that on the internet (3.6 hours).


Cluster #2 -- The Computer Specialists (18%)

Students in this group are almost as active in their use of the computer as the "Techno-Whizzes" (6.4 hours last week on the computer, with 2.5 hours on the internet), but they are far less likely to use the other technology items mentioned in this poll: they are below average in the use of VCRs, the answering machine, stereo equipment, and the calculator. They also less likely to have access at home to the computer (62%) and to the internet (34%) than the more active group, and less likely to rate themselves as a "top" student (15%). However, they are almost as likely to participate in after-school activities (63%), and they have the highest self-rated level of confidence in their use of the computer (8.8) than any group (8.1 for the Techno-Whizzes; average=6.7). Boys (57%) are slightly over-represented in this group.


Cluster #3 -- The Moderates (28%)

These teenagers, more than any other group, love to talk on the telephone with their friends (well over an hour a day), use the VCR, listen to music, and use a calculator. In most other technology-related activities, however, they tend to be about average or below average in usage. They are below average in their use of the computer and the internet: they spend only about 2.7 hours per week on the computer (the average=4.4), a third of which is on the internet (.9 of an hour, compared with 1.8 average). They are also below average in at-home access to a computer and the internet. They are about average in their participation in after-school activities, in their rating of the importance of technology, in their educational aspirations, and in their self-rating on confidence in using the computer.


Cluster #4 -- The Wary (10%)

One of the major characteristics that define this group is their low level of confidence in using computers. They use the computer about the same as the Moderates, but are much less confident in their ability to do so, giving themselves an average confidence score of 2.9 (on a scale of 1-10), compared with 6.1 among the Moderates. They are slightly below average in their use of VCRs, answering machines, and video games; slightly above average in their use of stereo equipment; and average in their use of calculators. Their diffidence, however, is not due to lack of opportunity: they have almost as much access to a home computer (76%) as the Techno-Whizzes, although home access to the internet is below average. In fact, their experience with the internet is about the same as the Low Techies described below. They tend disproportionately to prefer English and social science subjects to math and science, while their educational aspirations are about as great as the Techno-Whizzes -- with 81% expecting to graduate from college, and 45% expecting to go on to graduate school.


Cluster #5 -- The Low Techies (19%)

This group shows the lowest use of virtually all the items covered in the poll. Their confidence score in using computers is only somewhat below average (5.5, compared to the overall average of 6.7); however, their access to computers and the internet is the lowest among all the groups, as is their participation in after school activities. They show a slightly higher rate of watching television than the rest, but they are the lowest in talking with their friends on the telephone. Their educational aspirations are also the lowest, but still quite ambitious: 37% expect to go to grad school after getting a college degree, and another 37% expect to graduate from a four-year college. Less than half (48%), however, say they are "above average" students or better, the lowest among the groups.



COMPARISON OF CHARACTERISTICS AMONG FIVE TYPES OF TEENAGERS -- GROUPED BY TECHNOLOGY USE*


                     Low-                        Computer   Techno- 
                     Tech     Wary   Moderates  Specialist   Whiz   Overall 
                     (19%)    (10%)   (28%)       (18%)      (25%)   (100%) 

# Hrs Last 7 Days on Computer 2.2- 2.9- 2.7- 6.4+ 7.0+ 4.4 # Hrs Last 7 Days on Internet .6- .8- .9- 2.5+ 3.6+ 1.8 % Used Internet 1 hr+ last week 6- 11- 18- 30+ 53+ 26 % Computer Use (daily or more) 10- 24- 43 58+ 71+ 44 % VCR Use (daily or more) 16- 33- 51+ 29- 49+ 38 % Program Telephone Answering Machine (daily or more) 18- 37- 47+ 9- 95+ 44 % Play Video Game (daily or more) 18- 30- 40± 52+ 51+ 40 % Use Stereo Equip. (daily or more) 58- 90+ 96+ 73- 98+ 85 % Use Calculator (daily or more) 23- 67± 91+ 58- 80+ 67
% Rate Computer "Important" 64- 59- 77± 84+ 89+ 77 % Rate VCR "Important" 46- 42- 54+ 50± 56+ 51 % Rate Answering Machine "Important" 55- 51- 65+ 52- 76+ 62 % Rate Video Games "Important" 19± 3- 19± 22+ 19± 18 % Rate Stereo Equipment "Important" 56- 65- 76+ 59- 78+ 69 % Rate Calculator "Important" 57- 75+ 80+ 61- 79+ 71 % Rate TV "Important" 74± 60- 72± 72± 75+ 72
% Can Learn on Own 48- 30- 61± 74+ 76+ 61 Avg. Score on Computer Confidence (1-10) 5.5- 2.9- 6.1- 8.8+ 8.1+ 6.7 Avg. Age First Used Computer 9.3+ 9.4+ 9.3+ 8.9± 8.4- 9.0 Avg. Age now 14.5 14.7 15.0 14.4 14.6 14.7 Avg. Grade in School 7.8 8.2 8.4 7.8 8.1 8.1 % Female 43- 56+ 49± 43- 54+ 49 Educational Aspirations Grad 37- 49+ 36- 45± 56+ 44 4 Yr. College Only 31± 33+ 36+ 22- 25± 29
% Have Computer at Home 57- 76+ 60- 62- 82+ 67 % Have Internet at Home 16- 26- 21- 34+ 46+ 29 % Ever Use Internet for Research 38- 39- 51- 61+ 77+ 56 % Ever Chatted/email 31- 44- 43- 50± 65+ 48 % Ever Use Internet for Personal Use 41- 38- 57± 57± 76+ 57 Favorite Subject % Math and Science 62+ 39- 54± 67+ 52- 56 % Eng. and Soc Stud 34- 56+ 43- 28- 43+ 40
Income <$20K 23+ 18± 12- 22+ 20± 18 $50K+ 45+ 36- 37- 40± 46+ 41 % Two-Parent Household 73± 80+ 77± 72- 75± 75 Type of Student Top 13- 17? 51- 15? 25? 17 Above Average 35- 34- 39? 40? 41? 39 % Who Often Do Unrequired Reading 23- 40+ 37+ 35± 38+ 34 % Involved in After-School Activities 38- 48- 58± 63+ 67+ 56 % Want More Time on Computer 56± 49- 61+ 67+ 54- 58
% Want High-Tech House 47- 44- 50- 70+ 76+ 59 # Hrs watched TV Yesterday 2.9+ 2.5± 2.6± 2.4± 2.7± 2.6 # Hrs on Phone w/Friends Last Week 4.7- 6.8± 8.2+ 5.4- 7.4+ 6.7 # Hrs on Computer Last Week 2.2- 2.9- 2.7- 6.4+ 7.0+ 4.4
- sign after a number indicates below average, ± indicates about average, and a + sign indicates above average.

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