The Role of Education in Peruvians' Use of Media and ICTs

Chart 1

• Chart 1 shows the breakdown of the surveyed urban population by different education groups.

Household Access

• There was a notable disparity between the lower and higher education levels for household access to computers, internet and MP3/I-Pods; access increased with an increase in education levels (see chart 2).

Chart 2

• Household access to televisions and radios is fairly similar and high across all education levels (see chart 3). On the contrary, access to cable connnections for TVs and landline telephone connections increases with education levels.

Chart 3

Media Use

• Internet and mobile phone use was higher for those with higher education levels (see chart 4). Television and radio weekly use was almost similar for all educational levels.

Chart 4

• The same trend is observed with news sources. Urban Peruvians with higher education levels were more likely to rely on the internet and SMS for their weekly news (see chart 5).

Chart 5

Internet Activities (Monthly)

• Internet Cafés (or cabinas publicas, as they are known in Peru) are popular among urban Peruvians of all educational levels. However, those who have completed college or graduate school are more likely to log on to the web at home, at work or at schools and universities (see chart 6). [1]

Chart 6

• Those with secondary education, are most likely to play games and access audio content, while those with college/grad school degrees are more likely to watch Youtube videos, download music and listen to podcasts

Chart 7

• Web 2.0 activites: Social networking websites seemed popular across all education groups, while blogging became more common as education levels increased. Since education was so strongly related to income, only those with higher education levels, had used the internet for their finacial transactions.

Chart 8

Mobile Phone Activities (Monthly)

• Those who have completed college or graduate school are more likely to use their phones for various non-voice functions; however SMS use is comparable across all education levels.

Chart 9

Chart 10

Radio Use: Methods and Frequencies

• In particular, FM frequency is the most popular for all groups. Convergence of mediums through activities such as listening to the radio on the internet, which is becoming more common in nations with greater connectivity, is yet to become very popular in urban Peru, and is only accessible to those with high education levels.

Chart 11

[1] Only four out of the 76 respondents in the "primary or less" education category said they had accessed the internet in the last 12 months at the time of the survey. Their responses for the questions on internet activities and web access points are not statistically significant and are excluded from the further analysis below. The same applies for mobile activities.