White people are likelier than blacks and Hispanics to bank online, but far less likely to bank on their mobile devices than other ethnicities, according to a new report from the Pew Research Center.
Why? We have no idea.
Overall, the report found that 51% of US adults bank online and 32% bank on their mobile devices.
The variances between ethnicities in online banking are less pronounced: 63% of whites bank online versus 48% of blacks and 62% of Hispanics.
Aside from white people, online banking is led by representatives from the following groups: those who are young (18-29), male, college graduates, have higher income ($75,000+), or live in suburban areas.
Mobile presents a more complex picture. Whites are less likely (32%) than blacks (39%) and Hispanics (41%) to be mobile banking users, according to Pew.
In other ways, mobile banking tends to follow conventional wisdom. Mobile bankers tend to be younger, have attended at least some college, and to have a mid-level income ($50,000 – $74,000). Men and women are equally likely to have banked on a mobile device (35%).
The report does not make any guesses as to why blacks and Hispanics are so much more likely to be mobile bankers than whites. And neither can we.
The full findings from the report are here.