DigitalDivideinNationalInformatizationQuotientThe.pdfVIP

2002 International Conference on the Digital Divide: Technology Politics in the Information Age DIGITAL DIVIDE IN NATIONAL INFORMATIZATION QUOTIENT: THE PERSPECTIVE OF MAINLAND CHINA Jianbin Jin and Chengyu Xiong School of Journalism and Communication, Tsinghua University, Beijing, PRC Abstract This paper introduces a new approach in assessing the digital divide. Digital divide is a widely mentioned but conceptually confusing construct in contemporary communication studies. Beginning with the discussion of multi-faceted nature of digital divide, we argue that the presence of digital divide largely depends on how it is defined. National Informatization Quotient (NIQ) is an index launched by China government to evaluate the information and communication technologies development in different regions in China. It is composed of six dimensions which cover 20 indicators. The structure and computation of NIQ are introduced in detail. Utilizing the informatization development data of 2000 published by National Informatization Evaluation Center (NIEC), the digital divide situation in China is assessed. Specifically, the ratio of Standard Deviation to Mean of NIQ index of all cases is tactically employed as the indicator of digital divide level in our analysis of the digital divide. According to our analysis, there is “significant” digital divide in China in terms of NIQ in year 2000. The Digital Divide in Terms of National Informatization Quotient: 1 2002 International Conference on the Digital Divide: Technology Politics in the Information Age The Perspective of Mainland China Laugksch (1999) pointed out that scientific literacy has become an internationally well-recognized educ