Donate

Device Ownership Matters

hands on laptop keyboard with title

Access to large-screen computing devices (e.g. laptops, desktops) is essential to protect against the creation of a second class digital citizen.

Digitunity commissioned leading expert Amy Gonzales, an Associate Professor of the Department of Communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara, to examine the importance of large screen device ownership and the impact that disparities in ownership by race and income have between groups of people, especially those in marginalized groups.

This original report provides an evidenced-based discussion for why access to large-screen computing devices (e.g. laptops, desktops) is essential to protect against the creation of a second class digital citizen, and provides five recommendations on how to close the digital divide nationwide.

The way out of the digital divide must include scalable solutions that provide a lasting pathway to large-screen device ownership and ongoing support so that everyone who needs a computer can have one. 

Register below and click the download button to be sent a PDF copy of the report.

Download the Device Ownership Matters: The Importance of Large-Screen Device Ownership Report Now…

device ownership matters report mock up

Other Recent Posts

An adult and a child sit at a computer in a library, with the child pointing at the screen and the adult using the mouse. Bookshelves are visible in the background.

Digitunity and AT&T Partner to Expand Digital Navigator Services and Computer Ownership in Rural Communities

Digitunity is proud to announce a new collaboration with AT&T, which will connect more than 13,000 people across rural Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi with the tools they need to fully participate in today’s digital world. Through $725,000 in support from AT&T, this 12-month initiative will strengthen community-based organizations by equipping them with resources to expand computer ownership, digital skills training, and affordable internet access. Why This Matters Nearly 1 in 4 households in these three

A digital flyer promoting a report titled “Large-Screen Computer Ownership: A Call to Action,” with a download icon and the Digitunity logo.

Previously Unpublished Data Highlights Persistent U.S. Computer Ownership Gap in Detail

In Digitunity’s new report, we uncover who is most affected by the computer ownership gap – and why smartphones alone are not enough. A limited amount of  public data focuses only on large-screen computer ownership. Most national data combines computer and internet access, making it difficult to determine the actual need for computers. This report analyzes previously unpublished Census data on people who either have no computer at all or rely only on a smartphone

A U.S. map shows 2024 state percentages of households without large-screen computers, with higher rates concentrated in the South and lower rates in the West and Northeast.

The United States’ Computer Ownership Gap Persists

In September 2025, the U.S. Census Bureau released the 2024 American Community Survey (ACS) data offering insights of important national and state-level digital divide trends. Digitunity identified and analyzed two data points illustrating the (1) number of households without any type of computing device and (2) households that rely solely on a smartphone to go online. Together, these data points yield the statistic we call households without a large screen computer. The National Snapshot: 17.7

Translate »

The need for computers has never been greater.​ Sign up for our newsletter.