Ofcom research shows 30% of adults have no internet access at home

Ofcom's latest research undertaken by IPSOS MORI (June 2009) has some interesting findings for organisations attempting to provide universal electronic access.

"The inclusion of everyone into the digital world has emerged as an important principle in our society as, 'this is not simply a question of economic competitiveness, but also of fairness' (BERR and DCMS, Digital Britain: The Interim Report (2009)). The internet is a major digital medium, and has become an integral part of many people's lives. However, access to the internet at home is not universal, as seven in ten (70%) of those aged 15 or above living in the UK have an internet connection at home. The majority have broadband (68%) and the remainder (2%) narrowband.

Current state of play in the UK

• Data from this study combined with those from the Ofcom Communications Tracking survey shows that 70% of adults in the UK have the internet at home, and five per cent say they intend to get it in the next 6 months. Just under one in ten (9%) say their main reason for not having the internet relates to finance/resources and 13% say it is because of a lack of interest or need (defined in this report as self-exclusion). The remainder (3%) provided other reasons or said they did not know.
• Variation by age, socio-economic group and presence of children shows an interesting picture. Younger people aged 16-24 are more likely than the UK adult population as a whole to have the internet at home (78%) or say they intend to get it (9%). In contrast, 75 year olds are less likely to have the internet (20%) or intend to get it (4%) and are more likely to provide self- exclusion reasons related to need/interest for not having it (50%)
• There are two main groups of people who don't have the internet at home and don't currently intend to get it - the self excluded and the financially excluded.
  
  
  • Self-excluded
    Forty two per cent of adults without the internet at home said the main reason was down to lack of interest or need.
    The self-excluded tend to be older and retired and 61 per cent have never used a computer.
    This group shares a sense of indifference, with many struggling to express any reason why they should have the internet at home.
    Some also felt they were too old or believed that it is for younger people
  
  
  • Financially Excluded
    Thirty per cent of adults without the internet at home said the main reason was that it was too expensive or that they did not have the knowledge or skills to use it.
    Half of respondents in this group cited expense or costs while 27 per cent said the cost of a computer or not owning a computer was their main reason for not having an internet connection.
    Concern about not being able to afford the monthly payments is a factor among those who cannot afford the internet.

Of those citing financial exclusion over half (55%) lived in DE socio-economic groups, which is in line with the average sample. They were more likely to be unemployed (12% vs. 7% of the total sample). Access to technology tended to be low among this group; only 16% were regular internet users and the same proportion (16%) had a computer at home. About one third (32%) had cable or satellite television.

The study identified a group of core resistors (23% of the total sample) who did not intend to get the internet, did not use it, were not willing to pay for it, were not interested in any ideas and did not have proxy access to the internet via other people. This group equates to about 7% of the adult population. The research suggests that making the internet personally relevant may help encourage take-up for this group. It is, however, important to bear in mind that even if a spark of interest is generated, there may still be other barriers as this group is likely to lack the resources or skills to get connected.

The full report can be found here.

More info on digital exclusion can be found here.