The Tomas Rivera Policy Institute conducted focus groups in the summer of 1997 to gain insight into why there is a gap in computer ownership between Hispanic middle-class families and non-Hispanic families of the same middle class income bracket (between 25 and 50 thousand dollars). Results from 6 focus groups of 15 to 20 heads of household each show that respondents believed strongly that Hispanics need computers to keep up with progress and felt that owning a computer was a priority in their household, at least in the abstract. While these respondents saw many advantages to owning a computer, the obstacles were formidable, including finding the right brand of computer, fear of it becoming immediately outdated, and anxiety over pornography on the Internet. Respondents were unanimous in suggesting that computers would help their children, but most heads of household who said they would purchase a computer in the coming year expressed the greatest interest in buying it for themselves. Many respondents expressed a strong trust in the print media and certain television personalities as sources of information and news, while at the same time demonstrating interest in the convenience and diversity of new media, such as the Internet. (Contains five figures). (SLD)