logo
    • Magazine
    • Membership
    • Donate
  • Racial Justice
  • Economic Justice
    • Collections
  • Climate Justice
  • Health Justice
  • Leadership
  • CONTENT TYPES
  • Subscribe
  • Webinars
    • Upcoming Webinars
    • Complimentary Webinars
    • Premium On-Demand Webinars
  • Membership
  • Submissions

75 Percent of Homeless Youth Use Social Media, Study Indicates

Aine Creedon
September 6, 2012
Share
Tweet
Share
Email
Print

Phone

September 3, 2012; Source: Wired

Researchers from the University of Alabama and the National Science Foundation have recently released a study in Computers in Human Behavior titled “The homeless use Facebook?! Similarities of social network use between college students and homeless young adults.” The study observes social media usage among young adults and finds that 75 percent of the homeless youth surveyed are actively using social media. The study included 237 college students and 65 homeless young adults (average age: 19) in shelters. The college students reported a higher regular use of social networking (with 90 percent saying they use social media regularly), but overall, the usage between the two groups was extraordinarily similar.

Sign up for our free newsletters

Subscribe to NPQ's newsletters to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from NPQ and our partners.

The lead author of the report, the National Science Foundation’s Rosanna E. Guadagno, says, “Since it is clear that the proportions of undergraduates and homeless young adults accessing social networking sites are similar, we assert that the term ‘digital divide’ is not descriptive of the young adult population.”

The article in Wired points to recent research by the U.K.’s Office for National Statistics which indicates that the digital divide is, to some extent, affected by age. According to Wired’s paraphrasing of the U.K. research, “as of the first quarter of 2012 the internet participation rate remains at least around 90 percent up until the 45-55 age group, but then drops sharply, with only 27.4 percent of those over 75 having ever gone online. Studies such as the University of Alabama one seem to indicate that age remains the most significant signifier that someone may not have the access to the web that they could.”

Does this study seem to reflect the experience of people working with homeless youth elsewhere? And if so, how have you adapted your programs to make use of social media? –Aine Creedon

Share
Tweet
Share
Email
Print
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Aine Creedon

Aine Creedon is Nonprofit Quarterly's Digital Publishing Coordinator and has worn many hats at NPQ over the past five years. She has extensive experience with social media, communications and outreach in the nonprofit sector, and spent two years in Americorps programs serving with a handful of organizations across the nation. Aine currently resides in Denver, Colorado where she enjoys hiking with her pups Frida and Tucker. She enjoys volunteering in her free time and also serves on the advisory board for the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network Denver and is the Marketing Liaison for YNPN Denver's Professional Development Committee.

More about: Case StudiesInequalityNonprofit NewsPolicySocial Media

Become a member

Support independent journalism and knowledge creation for civil society. Become a member of Nonprofit Quarterly.

Members receive unlimited access to our archived and upcoming digital content. NPQ is the leading journal in the nonprofit sector written by social change experts. Gain access to our exclusive library of online courses led by thought leaders and educators providing contextualized information to help nonprofit practitioners make sense of changing conditions and improve infra-structure in their organizations.

Join Today
logo logo logo logo logo
See comments

NPQ_Winter_2022Subscribe Today
You might also like
Linking Our Fights to Win: On Combatting Elite Capture
Kitana Ananda and Olúfemi O. Táíwò
Cancelling Student Debt Is Necessary for Racial Justice
Kitana Ananda
To Save Legal Aid, Expand Public Service Loan Forgiveness
Zoë Polk
No Justice, No Peace of Mind and Body: The Health Impacts of Housing Insecurity for Black Women
Jhumpa Bhattacharya, Maile Chand and Andrea Flynn
Black Women’s Pay Inequity Starts in the School System
Toni A. Wilson
The Human Impact of the Global Refugee Crisis Must Be Understood—And Acted Upon
Anmol Irfan

Popular Webinars

Remaking the Economy

Black Food Sovereignty, Community Stories

Register Now

Combating Disinformation and Misinformation in 21st-Century Social Movements

Register Now

Remaking the Economy

Closing the Racial Wealth Gap

Register Now
You might also like
Linking Our Fights to Win: On Combatting Elite Capture
Kitana Ananda and Olúfemi O. Táíwò
Cancelling Student Debt Is Necessary for Racial Justice
Kitana Ananda
To Save Legal Aid, Expand Public Service Loan Forgiveness
Zoë Polk

Like what you see?

Subscribe to the NPQ newsletter to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

See our newsletters

By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from NPQ and our partners.

Independent & in your mailbox.

Subscribe today and get a full year of NPQ for just $59.

subscribe
  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Copyright
  • Careers

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

 

Non Profit News | Nonprofit Quarterly
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.