Survey unveils high-tech ownership profile of American college students: ninety percent of students own computers

Black Issues in Higher Education, Sept 23, 2004 by Ronald Roach

NEW YORK

A national market survey, the 360 Youth College Explorer Study, reveals that 90 percent of American college students own their own computers and 65 percent have access to broadband Internet connections. The recently released survey findings unveiled the spending and high-tech ownership profile of American college students.

Estimates showed that students exercise $122 billion in spending power, including $24 billion in disctetionary spending, according to the study. The 360 Youth College Explorer Study was conducted by the New York-based Alloy Inc. and examined college students--aged 18 to 24 years, from two-year and four-year colleges and who attend part or full-time.

The results reveal students to be the leading consumers of digital technology, with 13 percent regarding themselves early adopters of emerging devices and gadgets. Other findings report that among students, 62 percent own a stereo; 77 percent have a cell phone: 77 percent own a printer, 84 percent have a television; and 86 percent own a calculator. Three-quarters of students (74 percent) own a DVD player and just over half (55 percent) own a gaming system. More than six in 10 18- to 24-year-old college students use their cell phone for text messaging (62 percent) and playing games (70 percent), and 41 percent of students with cell phones can access the Internet through their mobile phone.

"College students have an insatiable appetite for information, and so are eager to get the best devices that give them the most efficient access," said Derek White, an executive vice president of Alloy. "The use of technology can create real efficiencies in their social and academic lives, and for today's college students, technology is not so much a luxury, but a necessity that's become seamlessly integrated into their everyday environment."

The study was conducted by Harris Interactive during the Fall 2003 semester and polled 4,608 college students.