This was examined in “The ConnectedEconomy™ Monthly Report: Digitally Divided – Work, Health and the Income Gap,” based on a survey of over 2,700 U.S. consumers. It showed how the income gap in America is impacting consumers’ ability to engage in the connected economy.
Survey results showed that high-income consumers’ participation in the ConnectedEconomy™ rose 9% year over year, but low-income consumers’ participation remained virtually unchanged. This “income gap” exists across all areas of consumers’ lives.
High-income consumers are consistently more likely than low-income consumers to use digital tools for everything from traveling to banking, keeping in touch with their families, accessing healthcare and beyond.
“Average participation in the ConnectedEconomy™ among those making $100,000 and more (high-income consumers) stands at 54.7%, close to twice the size of the share participating among those annually earning less than $50,000 (low-income consumers),” the study stated.
“High-income consumers are using digital more, partly because they are still working from home, while low-income consumers are increasingly returning to jobs requiring them to work onsite,” the study added. “High-income consumers are now 78% more likely than low-income consumers to have jobs they can perform from home.”
Advertisement: Scroll to Continue
PYMNTS research found that 71% of high-income consumers — a projected 45 million individuals — now do at least some of their work from home, up 10% year over year. Just 40% of low-income consumers worked from home as of the first quarter of 2023, down 15% year over year. It is not entirely clear why this is, although many of these consumers may hold jobs that require them to work on-site.
