Younger, wealthier, more highly educated or African American demographics have the highest rates of mobile Internet access, compared to seniors, less educated or rural populations, according to a recent Pew Research Center study.
In looking at the numbers as they pertain to federal agencies, GAO noted that just
22 percent of seniors ages 65 and older accessed the Internet using cellphones, compared to 85 percent of young people. Just around 50 percent of those without a high school diploma or only a high school education, and those living in rural areas use phones to access the Internet. And the number falls to 22 percent for seniors. Compare that to 85 percent of those 18 – 29 that use their phones to go online.
Desktop or laptop is still the chief means of accessing government information but that’s shifting toward mobile across the board. For example, the number of individual visitors using smartphones and tablets to access the Department of Interior’s information and services increased from 57,428 visitors in 2011 to 1,206,959 in 2013, according to GAO-15-69.