Technology Access and Adoption Study
Your voice matters in the 2023 Technology Access and Adoption survey.
This spring, we are contacting 20,000 residents in the City of Seattle who have been randomly selected to participate in the City’s technology survey. If you are selected and receive a notification postcard, Mayor’s letter and survey packet, or email, we hope you will take the time to respond. (See sample materials on the right side of this page)
The survey is available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Somali, Amharic, Korean, and Tagalog. Information provided is used only for the survey study.
If you use the internet and computers often, rarely, or never, your answers are meaningful. The survey should only take about 15 minutes to fill out and resources are available to help you complete the survey as needed. Your address or personally identifiable information are not connected to the survey results.
The 2023 Technology Access Study
The City of Seattle conducted this survey and research to gather information from the community so we can better understand residents' access and use of technology and internet services, barriers to use, and the support needed to help ensure all residents have the same opportunities. Our Technology Access and Adoption Study helps guide digital equity programs and funding for Seattle residents.
The survey and focus groups underway in 2023 will update the last study done in 2018. A lot has changed with the Covid-19 pandemic and this survey will gauge progress and remaining barriers for communities in need. We are working with Pacific Market Research, Olympic Research & Strategy, Inclusive Data, and Tribal Technology Training (T-3). This year’s research is also the first since the passage of the City's Internet for All resolution in 2020. The results will be available in late summer.
Our research is designed to continue improving the inclusion of diverse voices, collect actionable data, respond to critical needs, and use best practices in responsive community information gathering.
Background and History
The City's Technology Access and Adoption community study and data reporting began in 2000 and is guided by our Internet for All Goals, goals for a technologically healthy community, and valuable advice from our Community Technology Advisory Board and other community members and City partners. The study has been conducted every 4-5 years.
The last survey in 2018 marked the fifth time this research was conducted. These findings help the City of Seattle understand how Seattle residents use technology and the internet. The study also identifies barriers that prevent residents from utilizing digital technologies, which then informs the City's work to ensure access, services, and resources necessary for all Seattle residents to thrive.
The results of this research effort provide a comprehensive view into Seattle residents' access and adoption of internet and technology. Key metrics in 2018 were compared to the City of Seattle 2014 Information Technology and Adoption in Seattle Report as well as to the 2017 American Community Survey (ACS) for Seattle on digital device ownership and adoption and internet connectivity.
Though 2018 was the fifth time this research was conducted, some important changes were made to the approach as well as the objectives and question lines. Past surveys also examined barriers, but the 2018 survey provides more depth to the analysis of connectivity levels, as well as attitudes, perceptions, frustrations, barriers, and skill levels when it comes to digital engagement. The goal was to present a holistic view of digital engagement and explore not only the adoption of devices and access percentages but also the reasons for those levels of adoption.
For the purposes of the 2018 study, we chose to use the term digital engagement to characterize a level of involvement and capacity by individuals and households to use digital information and communications tools to perform daily activities, including civic and community participation.