The data on age were derived from answers to Question 4 in the 2013 American Community Survey. The age classification is based on the age of the person in complete years at the time of interview. Both age and date of birth are used in combination to calculate the most accurate age at the time of the interview. Respondents are asked to give an age in whole, completed years as of interview date as well as the month, day and year of birth. People are not to round an age up if the person is close to having a birthday, and to estimate an age if the exact age is not known. An additional instruction on babies also asks respondents to print "0" for babies less than one year old. Inconsistently reported and missing values are assigned or imputed based on the values of other variables for that person, from other people in the household, or from people in other households ("hot deck" imputation).

Age is asked for all persons in a household or group quarters. On the mailout/mailback paper questionnaire for households, both age and date of birth are asked for persons listed as person numbers 1-5 on the form. Only age (in years) is initially asked for persons listed as 6-12 on the mailout/mailback paper questionnaire. If a respondent indicates that there are more than 5 people living in the household, then the household is eligible for Failed Edit Follow-up (FEFU). During FEFU operations, telephone center staffers call respondents to obtain missing data. This includes asking date of birth for any person in the household missing date of birth information. In Computer Assisted Telephone Interviews (CATI) and Computer Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) instruments both age and date of birth is asked for all persons. In 2006, the ACS began collecting data in group quarters (GQs). This included asking both age and date of birth for persons living in a group quarters. For additional data collection methodology, please see http://www.census.gov/acs.

Data on age are used to determine the applicability of other questions for a particular individual and to classify other characteristics in tabulations. Age data are needed to interpret most social and economic characteristics used to plan and analyze programs and policies. Age is central for any number of federal programs that target funds or services to children, working-age adults, women of childbearing age, or the older population. The U.S. Department of Education uses census age data in its formula for allotment to states. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs uses age to develop its mandated state projections on the need for hospitals, nursing homes, cemeteries, domiciliary services, and other benefits for veterans. For more information on the use of age data in Federal programs, please see http://www.census.gov/acs. and enter "age data in Federal programs" in the ACS website search box.

The 2008 Broadband Improvement Act mandated the collection of data about computer and Internet use. As a result, three questions were added to the 2013 American Community Survey (ACS) to measure these topics. Data about computer and Internet use were derived from answers to Question 9, Question 10, and Question 11 on the 2013 ACS, and are asked of all occupied housing units.

The computer use question (Question 9) asked if anyone in the household owned or used a computer and included three response categories for a desktop/laptop, a handheld computer, or some other type of computer. Respondents selected a checkbox for "Yes" or "No" for each response category. Respondents could select all categories that applied.

Respondents who checked "Yes" for the some other type of computer category are asked to write in descriptions of their computer types. These are mostly used for internal purposes, although some people may write in a type of computer that can be reclassified as a desktop/laptop or handheld computer.

Question 10 asked if any member of the household accesses the Internet. "Access" refers to whether or not someone in the household uses or connects to the Internet, regardless of whether or not they pay for the service. Respondents were to select only ONE of the following choices:

Yes, with a subscription to an Internet service - This category includes housing units where someone pays to access the Internet through a service such as a data plan for a mobile phone, a cable modem, DSL or other type of service. This will normally refer to a service that someone is billed for directly for Internet alone or sometimes as part of a bundle.

Yes, without a subscription to an Internet service- Some respondents may live in a city or town that provides free Internet services for their residents. In addition, some colleges or universities provide Internet services. These are examples of cases where respondents may be able to access the Internet without a subscription.

No Internet access at this house, apartment, or mobile home- This category includes housing units where no one connects to or uses the Internet using a paid service or any free services.

If a respondent answers "Yes, with a subscription to an Internet service" to Question 10, they are asked to select the type of Internet subscription in Question 11. Respondents select a checkbox for "Yes" or "No" for each of seven types of services: dial-up, DSL, cable, fiberoptic, mobile broadband, satellite, or some other service. Respondents could select "Yes" for all categories that apply.

If a respondent selected "Yes" to the "some other service" category, they are asked to write in a description of the type of Internet service. These codes are primarily used internally, although some people may write in a type of Internet service that can be reclassified into another category such as DSL, fiber-optic or satellite service.

These data will be used by a variety of government agencies, local communities, and other data users. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will use these statistics to measure the nationwide development of broadband access, as well as the successful deployment of the next generation of broadband technology. These data will also allow the FCC to develop measures to increase access to broadband technology and decrease barriers.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will use these data to provide grants that help expand public access to broadband service and fund broadband education and support, particularly to groups that have traditionally underutilized broadband technology.

State and local governments may be able to use these data to evaluate access to broadband in their communities, and institute policies and programs to increase access for areas with less connectivity. Businesses and non-profits can use these statistics to analyze computer and Internet usage in their communities.

Question/Concept History - The computer and Internet use questions were added to the ACS in 2013 and were mandated by the 2008 Broadband Improvement Act.

Limitation of the Data – These questions are not asked for the group quarters population, so would not include data about people living in housing such as dorms, prisons, nursing homes, etc.

For more information, visit the ACS website (http://www.census.gov/acs).

Comparability - Data prior to 2013 are not available because 2013 was the first year that these questions were collected using the ACS.

Data about computer and Internet use also has been collected sporadically from the Current Population Survey (CPS) since 1984. Both surveys exclude those living in group quarters. However, users should note CPS data is not necessarily comparable to ACS data in several important ways. First, unlike the ACS, some CPS questions are asked at the person level. In addition, the CPS questions and answer categories have changed multiple times over the years. Therefore, comparable data may not be available for certain questions during some years. In addition, some questions may appear to have similar wording as the ACS questions, but may not have been asked of the same type of people.

See Computer and Internet Use.