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Community Technology

Seattle Information Technology Indicators Project

The 2009 Information Technology Access and Adoption report presents the findings of our latest residential information technology survey. In short we found that:
  1. Seattle is very connected and residents are calling for more speed;
  2. There are still significant gaps in access and use for some populations;
  3. Greater technology adoption would occur with increased training and awareness, low-cost options available for high speed Internet, help purchasing computers, and assistance in maintaining them safely and securely;
  4. There are opportunities for greater use of social networking, mobile applications and online city services.

Surveys were last conducted in 2000 and 2004 and are based on our “Information Technology Indicators for a Healthy Community.” The city commissioned a random telephone survey of 1064 households. For the first time, the survey was also conducted in Spanish and nine targeted focus groups were held to get input from immigrant/refugee groups and African Americans. Cell phone only households were not included in the telephone survey, but focus groups collected some data from cell only users. We believe this is the most comprehensive research of an urban community’s use of information technology ever conducted. 

To view or download 2009 Information Technology Access and Adoption in Seattle Report click here. (pdf - 990 KB - 25 pages)

Also available:

  • Press release
  • Executive Summary (online web pages)
  • Technical Report (pdf - 2.1 MB - 224 pages)
    The Technical Report provides detailed data analysis, focus group reports, the methodology and survey instruments.
  • Focus Group Reports (pdf - 1.1 MB)
    Filipino, Latino, African American, African, Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese and Graduate Students

What does a technology healthy community look like?
Background on the Seattle Information Technology Indicators Project


In 2000, the City of Seattle asked a wide range of community, education and business stakeholders what a technology healthy community would like. From this, we identified a set of goals for a technologically healthy community and then developed a set of measures (indicators) to reflect those goals. We then conducted the research to provide data for the indicators in 2000, in 2004, and 2009. These indicators serve as signposts to measure the state of information technology as it impacts the social, economic, community and cultural health of Seattle as well as levels of civic participation and use of e-government. These measures, tracked over time, help the City improve customer services and ensure digital inclusion. They also assist a wide range of stakeholders concerned with community and economic development, education, human services, access to government services, civic participation, and equality in opportunity. The Information Technology Indicators Project is one of a number of Community Technology projects developed by the City of Seattle Department of Information Technology and the City’s Citizens Telecommunications and Technology Advisory Board (CTTAB).


Past reports and background documents