Over a decade of research into the barriers to use of the internet has reached the same findings:
- Three key things stop people going online:
- So we need to work together:
A FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION
Over a decade of research into the barriers to use the internet has reached the same findings. Lack of motivation, access and skills are the key reasons why people don’t get online.
As the graph on the right shows, not believing that the internet is for them is the most commonly cited reason for people not using the internet. It also shows that affordability is a key factor, particularly for younger people, often those who are unemployed. Lack of confidence and skills is a very common reason, and this tends to be higher among older (retired) people.
Our more detailed recommendations for action are based on the evidence of the barriers, on what works to overcome them, and our belief that partnership across sectors will be vital to increasing the scale and pace of change. Our simple framework for action is therefore:
To inspire more people to go online.
To encourage people to go online and reward them for doing so.
To support those who need a helping hand.
INSPIRING MORE PEOPLE TO GO ONLINE
For those who have never been online, recognising the potential benefits that they will enjoy and being sufficiently inspired to act on them can be a major challenge. Of current non-users, 59% say they see no reason to get online, and this is particularly the case amongst older groups, who have lived a greater portion of their life without the internet.
The experience of people working in local communities is that learning how to use the internet is generally taught most effectively by a friend or trusted intermediary. In addition, starting the process by most interested in is the most effective route.
Local charities are a fundamental part of trying to bring disadvantaged groups online because of their trusted relationships with those that they serve. Defining their role is hard because there are so many different types of charities with varied objectives and their IT capacity differs so much. Some charities are helping people get online as their core function but the vast majority serve other needs. We want to tap into the incredible work that local charities do so that they can help us get to some of the people who would otherwise be too difficult to reach. We are asking charity funders to help us do this.
Non-users are unlikely to be inspired by traditional technology marketing that advertises the features of new devices and broadband connectivity. To attract new users we need the benefits of the web to be communicated much more effectively in the media and in industry advertising. We need to do more to target marketing and the communication of benefits to specific groups, such as older people and adults on low incomes, and ensure that messages can be found in the media and places that these groups use.
Rather than focus on the technology itself, we need to focus on questions like: ‘What message about the benefits of the internet would we want an older person with a low income to see on the side of their local bus?’ For those who remain offline, we need to redouble our efforts to inspire them that there is something on the web for them.
Several of our Race Online 2012 partners have already begun to run campaigns to inspire people to get online. Skype launched a ‘Be a Skype Hero’ campaign for people who want to pass on the benefits of the internet to others, which attracted over 21,000 visitors in the UK, and its guide to all the amazing things people can do on the internet was downloaded over 4,000 times. Google is developing a printed guide to the internet targeted at those who aren’t yet online and many other partners are embedding the messages of Race Online 2012 into their communication channels.
This is a great start but to accelerate progress and motivate millions more people to get online:
1. LEADERS AT EVERY LEVEL OF INDUSTRY, GOVERNMENT AND CHARITABLE SECTOR SHOULD EMBED MANIFESTO CHALLENGES INTO CORPORATE PLANS AND MAKE RACE ONLINE 2012 PLEDGES BY THE END OF 2010
2. INDUSTRY AND MEDIA PARTNERS SHOULD DEVELOP SPECIFIC STRATEGIES TO COMMUNICATE THE POSITIVE BENEFITS OF THE INTERNET TO THE 10 MILLION POTENTIAL NEW ONLINE CUSTOMERS
3. FUNDING ORGANISATIONS SHOULD DEVELOP PLANS TO DO MORE TO SUPPORT CHARITIES, SOCIAL ENTERPRISES AND COMMUNITY GROUPS TO RAISE AWARENESS OF THE BENEFITS OF THE INTERNET USE TO THE PEOPLE THAT THEY SERVE
ENCOURAGING MORE PEOPLE TO GO ONLINE AND REWARDING THEM FOR DOING SO
Industry has already recognised the business benefits from online services and taken the lead in creating a reward-led approach to encouraging people to transact online. Online purchases are often quicker, more convenient and, most importantly, cheaper both for the end consumer and the retailer. Users have created a demand for online access to everything from news and music consumption to telecoms and social networks. In return industry has offered savings and enhanced services to those who let go of costly face-to-face and postal transactions.
Government and citizens need to learn from this approach to changing behaviour. While most current internet users will not have been initially inspired to go online by the availability of digital public services, the public sector can now play a vitally important role in encouraging or nudging users of public services — and in particular recipients of benefits — to go online. The public sector can also play prominent role in promoting access to financial enablers to transacting online such as bank accounts and debit cards.
For most information requests and services, online should be the highest quality, most convenient and cost effective way of dealing with organisations in the public sector. Government should concentrate on improving the range and ease of use of online services and empower people to take more control of their interactions with public services. Government should ‘think internet first’ in designing services rather than trying to modify incumbent models of service delivery.
This has already been achieved for some services. School applications are close to 100% online in four local authorities,23 and the numbers among other local authorities are growing. Such applications are more convenient for parents and cheaper for councils to administer and the evidence from existing schemes shows that parents without access at home will use work, family or community access to get online. These initiatives should be expanded to a wider range of services, following industry’s lead.
4. GOVERNMENT SHOULD EXPECT PEOPLE TO USE SOME KEY ONLINE PUBLIC SERVICES AND SIGNPOST THOSE THAT NEED HELP TO LOCAL WEB ACCESS AND TRAINING POINTS
5. WE SHOULD EXPECT ADULTS STARTING INFORMAL OR FORMAL EDUCATION, TRAINING AND WELFARE TO WORK PROGRAMMES TO HAVE BASIC IT SKILLS
6. RACE ONLINE 2012 PARTNERS FROM ALL SECTORS SHOULD DEVELOP A PACKAGE OF REWARDS FOR GOING ONLINE AND PASSING ON WEB SKILLS
SUPPORTING PEOPLE WHO NEED A HELPING HAND
While people may be motivated to get online, and see the benefits of doing so, they may be prevented by a lack of skills or physical access to the necessary technology. 22% of people cite a lack of knowledge or skills as the reason why they don’t go online, rising to 33% of over 75s. Internet literacy should be seen as just as important as traditional literacy and numeracy for those of working age and an important life skill for the over 65s. Provision of the requisite skills must be a key responsibility for education and training providers across the public and voluntary sectors, and we should all support those around us as they seek to get online.
A further 14% of people think that internet access is too expensive for them, over 50% of households with children citing this as a barrier. Despite the improvements in technology and a proliferation of internet capable devices (particularly mobile phones), physical access to places or equipment may be a barrier for some due to cost, location or disability. Some people will need to be given support both with where and how they can get started and who might give them a helping hand.
Industry has already recognised the need to make products affordable and accessible if it is to tap into the online market of the additional 10 million. TalkTalk is currently in the process of creating a scheme where existing customers can sign up their offline parents and grandparents to a discounted broadband package. These first time internet users will be connected to the web at a reduced price, with the added convenience that their family member, as an existing TalkTalk customer, can set up and manage the account for them to further remove barriers to people getting online. Google are working with internet developers to create and launch new online tools to make the internet more accessible, particularly for over 65s, and Comet are developing a low- cost-hardware-package. We need to build on this to make sure everyone is able to get online.
There should be no wrong door for anyone wanting to access the internet, and these commitments should be built on to ensure that an individual can access or be signposted to where to access the internet through any public service or community facility.
7. PEOPLE MUST KNOW WHERE THEY CAN FIND LOCAL WEB ACCESS AND/OR TRAINING POINTS WHERE THEY CAN GET ASSITANCE WITH ANY ONLINE ONLY PUBLIC SERVICES, SUPPORTED BY LOCAL DIGIAL CHAMPIONS IN EVERY COMMUNITY
8. WE SHOULD WORK TOWARDS ENSURING THAT PEOPLE SHOULD HAVE EASY AND AFFORDABLE ACCESS TO THE INTERNET IN THE SAME WAY THEY CAN ACCESS WATER AND ELECTRICITY OR GAS
9. WE SHOULD ENSURE THAT PRODUCTS AND SERVICES ARE USABLE AND ACCESSIBLE FOR OLDER AND DISABLED PEOPLE
