Year: 2010
Type: dissertation
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Thesis (M.P.P.)--Georgetown University, 2010.; Includes bibliographical references.; Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. Significant increases in mobile phones, Internet use, and high-speed connections have changed the way Americans communicate and access information. Workplaces, homes, and relationships have all been impacted by widespread technological advancements. Anecdotal evidence, as well as several high-profile situations, indicate that technological advances have made it easier to cheat on one's spouse, and easier to get caught doing so. In this paper, I attempt to determine the relationship that mobile phones, Internet, and particularly high-speed Internet have with marital status. After analyzing a pseudo-panel dataset drawn primarily from the Current Population Survey, I found that relative to married individuals, divorced Americans are about 2 percentage points more likely to use the Internet, and roughly 10 percentage points more likely to do so through a high-speed connection at home. I further find that the mobile phone penetration level in a respondent's region is strongly associated with a lesser chance of being divorced, but the magnitude is very weak. Although I am unable to determine whether increased technological adoption precipitated divorce, my results clearly show that divorced individuals, specifically men, are much more likely to adopt high-speed Internet than married people. The government has a clear interest in promoting marriage and spreading high-speed Internet. Policymakers should consider which persons stand to benefit the most from the growth of broadband Internet, and possibly target their policies differently.
Author: Patrick Frey
Language: English
Subfield: Demography
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2169608131