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Stream/Area:
-
Subject:
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Paper ID:
IJSREM67961
Volume:
10 |
10 |
Oct 2026
Pages:
1-16
Publication Frequency:
Monthly (12 issues per year)
License:International Journal of Scientific Research in Engineering and Management follows the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) License, allowing free use and distribution with proper attribution.
Bachelor of business administration
Koneru Lakshmaiah University
Bachelor of business administration
Koneru Lakshmaiah University
The digital divide among young people is often explained by poverty and by low use of technology, and this study examines how far both explain it among Gen Z college students. Primary data were collected with an online questionnaire using 5-point Likert statements. The form returned 101 rows, but 69 were exact duplicates (same timestamp and answers), so N = 32 unique responses were analysed. Descriptive statistics, Cronbach's alpha, chi-square tests, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation and linear regression were used. A digital divide score was built from five statements on missed classes, electricity, network, shared devices and perceived inequality (M = 2.59 on a 5-point scale; 43.8% Low, 43.8% Moderate and 12.5% High). The chi-square tests found that digital divide level was associated with gender (χ²(2) = 6.03, p = .049; permutation p = .033), with 76.5% of male students at Moderate or High level against 33.3% of female students, but not with age, year of study or institution type. The ANOVA showed no significant difference in the digital divide score across family income groups (F(3, 28) = 1.01, p = .405), and income did not predict the score (R² < .001, p = .981). Technology usage did not significantly predict the score either (β = .29, p = .111). In the multiple regression, the four predictors explained 49.2% of the variance (adjusted R² = .417, p < .001), but only affordability was significant (β = .64, p < .001). Poverty and technology usage were not significant once affordability was included. The sample is very small, non-random and self-reported, so these results are preliminary.
KEYWORDS
This study examined the impact of poverty and lack of technology usage on the digital divide among Gen Z, using 32 unique college student responses. The digital divide was low to moderate for most students. Family income and technology usage did not significantly predict the divide score, and the divide score did not differ significantly across income groups. Affordability, meaning the cost of devices and data, was the only significant predictor in a model that explained about half of the variance in the divide. Gender was the only factor significantly associated with the divide level. Considering the small sample, the self-reported measures and the data-quality issues, the results are preliminary and should be validated in a larger and more representative sample.
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Publication Date
10/14/2026
Peer Review Type
Double-Blind Peer Review
Review Rounds: 2
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