Pew Internet's September 2010 survey found significant differences between people living with disability and those who report no disabilities.

1. Disability in the Digital Age
A Chart Pack
By Susannah Fox and Jan Lauren Boyles

2. Disability in the Digital Age
More than 20 years after the initial passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, internet access remains
unequally distributed. Adults living with disabilities do not engage in networked society at the same rate
as their peers who do not report disability, data from the Pew Internet & American Life Project shows.
According to a September 2010 survey by Pew Internet, nearly three in 10 American adults (27%) live with
a disability that inhibits their daily functioning. The U.S. Census Bureau, which uses a more restrictive
definition of disability, estimates in mid-2012 that nearly one in five Americans (19%) live with a disability.
Individuals who identified a disability use the internet at lower rates than those who did not report
disabilities, Pew Internet data also demonstrates (54% vs. 81%). Again, this data parallels findings from the
Census Bureau, which documented far lower levels of internet use among those with disabilities
compared to those living without disability (48% vs. 74%).
These lower levels of internet activity among those with disabilities stand in stark relief to the rest of the
population, especially as the peer-to-peer healthcare movement accelerates online. By delving deeper
into the demographic data, we now present a more detailed look at adults living with disabilities and their
interplay with the internet.
References:
1) http://www.ada.gov/q%26aeng02.htm
2) http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/Disability.aspx
2) http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/disability/sipp/disable10.html
3) Table 4: http://www.census.gov/hhes/computer/publications/2010.html

3. Challenges faced by adults living with
disability
Of those who identified as having a disability, the % who encounter the
following behaviors
Living with
disability
Do you have difficulty or serious difficulty …
Walking or climbing stairs? 56%
Concentrating, remembering, or making decisions
because of a physical, mental, or emotional 40
condition?
Hearing? 34
Doing errands alone such as visiting a doctor’s office
or shopping (because of a physical, mental, or 29
emotional condition)?
Seeing even when wearing glasses, or are you blind? 25
Dressing or bathing? 12
Source: Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, August
9-September 13, 2010 Survey. N=3001 adults for the full sample. N=906
adults who live with a disability. N=2095 who do not live with a disability.
Margin of error is +/- 3.2 percentage points when comparing the two
groups.

4. The Demographics of Adults Living with Disability
30% of U.S. adults are living with disability; 70% of U.S. adults do not have a disability.
This chart shows the proportion of adults who fall into each demographic group. In
other words, the middle column shows that 48% of those living with a disability are
male and 52% are female
Living with
No disabilities
disability
Gender
Male 48% 48%
Female 52 52
Race
White, non-Hispanic 68 67
Black, non-Hispanic 13 11
Hispanic 13 14
Age
18-29 13 26*
30-49 28 37*
50-64 29* 24
65+ 29* 11
Education
Grades 1-8 8* 3
High school, incomplete 14* 7
High school graduate 39* 30
Technical/trade/vocational school
2 2
after high school
Some college 21 25
College graduate 8 20*
Post-graduate 6 13*
Household income
< $10,000 18* 7
$10,000 - $19,999 16* 9
$20,000 - $29,999 12 10
$30,000 - $39,999 10 10
$40,000 - $49,999 8 8
$50,000 - $74,999 10 14*
$75,000 - $99,999 4 10*
$100,000 - $150,000 > 3 8*
Parent of a minor child
Yes 30 34
No 70* 65
Student
Yes 15 16
No 85 84
* Denotes statistically significant difference
Source: Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, August 9-
September 13, 2010 Survey. N=3001 adults for the full sample. N=906 adults
who live with a disability. N=2095 adults who do not live with a disability.
Margin of error is +/- 3.2 percentage points when comparing the two groups.

5. Marital Status
Living with disability No disabilities
Married 40% 51%*
Living with a partner 7 7
Divorced 16* 9
Separated 3 2
Widowed 14* 4
Never been married 17 25*
Single (volunteered) 3 2
* Denotes statistically significant difference
Source: Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, August 9-September 13, 2010 Survey.
N=3001 adults for the full sample. N=906 adults who live with a disability. N=2095 who do not live with a
disability. Margin of error is +/- 3.2 percentage points when comparing the two groups.

6. Employment Status
Living with disability No disabilities
Full time 23% 51%*
Part time 7 14*
Retired 30* 13
Not employed for pay 23* 18
Self employed/own business 1 2
Student 1 1
* Denotes statistically significant difference
Source: Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, August 9-September 13, 2010 Survey.
N=3001 adults for the full sample. N=906 adults who live with a disability. N=2095 who do not live with a
disability. Margin of error is +/- 3.2 percentage points when comparing the two groups.

7. Personal Health Status
Living with No
disability disabilities
Are you now living with any of the following health problems or
conditions?
High blood pressure 42%* 18
Asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, or other lung conditions 24* 7
Diabetes or sugar diabetes 20* 7
Heart disease, heart failure or heart attack 15* 3
Cancer 5* 1
Any other chronic health problem or condition not already
mentioned 35* 10
In the last 12 months, have you …
Personally faced a serious medical emergency or crisis? 27* 6
Experienced any other significant change in your physical
health, such as gaining or losing a lot of weight, becoming 31* 11
pregnant, or quitting smoking?
* Denotes statistically significant difference
Source: Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, August 9-September 13, 2010 Survey.
N=3001 adults for the full sample. N=906 adults who live with a disability. N=2095 who do not live with a
disability. Margin of error is +/- 3.2 percentage points when comparing the two groups.

8. Technology Profile
Living with No
disability disabilities
Have a cell phone or other device that is also a cell phone 74% 89%*
Use the internet or email 54 81*
(Have dial-up connection at home) (8) (7)
(Have high-speed connection at home) (78) (88*)
Have desktop computer 47 64*
Have laptop computer or netbook 34 59*
* Denotes statistically significant difference
Source: Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, August 9-September 13, 2010
Survey. N=3001 adults for the full sample. N=906 adults who live with a disability. N=2095 who do
not live with a disability. Margin of error is +/- 3.2 percentage points when comparing the two
groups.

9. Health Topics
The % of adults living with disability vs. other internet users who have looked online for information about each
of the following topics
Living with
Have you ever looked online for information about … No disabilities
disability
A specific disease or medical problem 64% 66%
A certain medical treatment or procedure 55 56
Doctors or other health professionals 38 45*
Hospitals or other medical facilities 31 37
Health insurance, including private insurance, Medicare or
Medicaid 30 34
Food safety or recalls 26 30
Drug safety or recalls 25 23
Environmental health hazards 21 23
Medical test results 15 17
Memory loss, dementia, or Alzheimer’s 19 16
Pregnancy and childbirth 11 20*
Long-term care for an elderly or disabled person 15 11
How to manage chronic pain 18 13
End-of-life decisions 6 7
Any other health issue 29 28
Yes to any of the above topics 78 80
* Denotes statistically significant difference
Source: Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, August 9-September 13, 2010 Survey. N=3001
adults for the full sample. N=906 adults who live with a disability. N=2095 who do not live with a disability.
Margin of error is +/- 3.2 percentage points when comparing the two groups.

10. The Social Life of Health Information
Living with No
Have you ever… disability disabilities
Read someone else's commentary or experience
about health or medical issues on an online news 34% 34%
group, website or blog
Watched an online video about health or medical
issues 26 25
Gone online to find others who might have health
concerns similar to yours 20 18
Tracked your weight, diet or exercise routine
online 13 16
Tracked any other health indicators or symptoms
online 20 16
Signed up to receive email updates or alerts about
health or medical issues 18 13
Have used the internet to do any of these 58 55
* Denotes statistically significant difference
Source: Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, August 9-September
13, 2010 Survey. N=3001 adults for the full sample. N=906 adults who live with a
disability. N=2095 who do not live with a disability. Margin of error is +/- 3.2
percentage points when comparing the two groups.

11. Health Care Reviews Online
Living with No
Have you ever… disability disabilities
Consulted online reviews of particular drugs or
medical treatments 27% 24%
Consulted online rankings or reviews of doctors or
other providers 13 16
Consulted online rankings or reviews of hospitals
or other medical facilities 13 15
Posted your experiences with a particular drug or
medical treatment online 9* 2
Posted a review online of a doctor 8* 4
Posted a review online of a hospital 5 3
Have used the internet to do any of these 38 34
* Denotes statistically significant difference
Source: Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, August 9-September
13, 2010 Survey. N=3001 adults for the full sample. N=906 adults who live with a
disability. N=2095 who do not live with a disability. Margin of error is +/- 3.2
percentage points when comparing the two groups.

12. Sources of Health Information for Adults Living with
Disability
Professional sources
Who is more helpful when you Fellow patients,
like doctors and
need… friends, and family
nurses
Times when professionals matter most
An accurate medical diagnosis 88% 6%
Information about prescription drugs 83 10
Information about alternative
treatments 66 20
A recommendation for a doctor or
specialist 66 24
A quick remedy for an everyday
health issue 48 43
Practical advice for coping with day-
to-day health situations 45 44
A recommendation for a hospital or
other medical facility 67 22
Times when non-professionals matter most
Emotional support in dealing with a
health issue 37 53
Source: Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, August 9-September 13, 2010
Survey. N=3001 adults for the full sample. N=906 adults who live with a disability. N=2095 who do
not live with a disability. Margin of error is +/- 3.2 percentage points when comparing the two
groups.

13. Methodology
The results in this chart pack are based on data from telephone interviews
conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International between
August 9 and September 13, 2010, among a sample of 3,001 adults, age 18 and
older.
Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish. A combination of landline
and cellular random digit dial samples was used to represent all adults in the
continental United States who have access to either a landline or cellular
telephone.
For results based on the total sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the
error attributable to sampling is plus or minus 2.5 percentage points. For results
based internet users (n=2,065), the margin of sampling error is plus or minus 2.9
percentage points.
In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in
conducting telephone surveys may introduce some error or bias into the findings
of opinion polls.