Connectivity and Freedom: Exploring the Relationship Between Internet Access, Freedom of the Net, and Media Freedom

By

Cynthia English, Elizabeth Steele, Lee B. Becker, and Tudor Vlad

Abstract

This paper compares data on Internet connectivity gathered by the Gallup World Poll against data from the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication. The ITU indicator is an individual measure and is based on official governmental reports. The Gallup indicator from survey data asked about Internet access and Internet freedom. The Gallup survey data and the ITU data are highly correlated. The relationship between Internet access and Internet freedom is a more modest one.

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