Hispanics are bridging the digital divide faster than any other U.S. ethnic group, the New York Times reports.

A survey released by Cheskin Research finds 42 percent of the 9.3 million Hispanics living in the United States have a computer, a 68-percent increase from 1998.

The study, "The Digital World of the U.S. Hispanic," surveyed 2,017 Hispanic households in February 2000. While the median income of respondents was $28,300 -- or about $10,000 less than the general population -- the study revealed 25 percent of households earning between $10,000 and $20,000 a year own computers.

Felipe Korzenny, the study's author, told the New York Times he believes the reason Hispanics are rapidly bridging the digital divide is they fear being left behind in the information age. The newspaper also reported that Hispanic youth are recognizing that computer skills can "get them to the next level" and help them succeed in the future.

The proliferation of Hispanic Web sites, such as quepasa.com and Español.com, are adding to the boom because the Spanish-speaking population now has a portal to help guide it through cyberspace.

However, most of the survey's respondents indicated they prefer the Spanish-language versions of Yahoo! and America Online to Hispanic-specific sites.

Full text of the article is currently found at:
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/04/
circuits/articles/06hisp.html