Bridging the Digital Divide the Biggest Challenge for Internet Access
London, UK, September 5, 2013--The physical divide for broadband internet access is being addressed but it's the social divide that really needs attention now. Point Topic, along with representatives from Ofcom, the ONS, BT, Shelter, the Tinder Foundation and the Oxford Internet Institute amongst others attended the 7th Social Digital Research Symposium in London yesterday.
Instituted to address the information gap on who isn’t online and why the Symposia have been adding to the knowledge base to help those whose research hopes to understand the digital divide. Much of the data and analysis can be seen on the ning at http://social-digitalresearch.ning.com/.
The internet is a key part of daily life for the majority of UK citizens and there is no going back. Thinkbroadband.com’s Big Broadband Survey 2012 of over 10,000 broadband users found that if asked to give up one service, only two per cent would give up their broadband connection compared with 30 per cent their mobile phone and 49 per cent satellite/cable/digital TV. This is despite 14 per cent of users saying they struggle to pay for their broadband connection from household budgets.
Broadband is increasingly regarded as a utility service. A study of 2,000 home buyers for Delaney’s estate agents by Broadbandchoices found a good broadband connection is now more important than off-street parking and local amenities and that setting up broadband is only second to connecting to electricity.
Those not adopting broadband will therefore participate less and less in the “normal” approaches to living and experiences of others in society who make up the majority.
The latest publication from the ONS, Internet Access – Households and Individuals , puts the number of households without internet access at 4 million. Of those the majority (59%) said they ‘did not need it’ while 20% said they ‘lacked the computer skills’ followed by costs and access costs at 13% and 12%.
Read more from this report at the Point Topic site.
