Digital poverty is about more than making sure people are online or have a computer, according to a new report from the Digital Poverty Alliance (DPA).
The charitable coalition of third, public and private sector partners has published the UK Evidence Review 2022 – Inclusion to Equity, setting out five policy principles aimed at reducing digital exclusion.
It says that factors such as widening differences in the quality of connections and devices, and different levels of skills and experiences, all play a crucial role in exacerbating inequalities and social divisions across the country.
This prompts a call for national bodies and local communities to take action which should be underpinned by the five principles.
The first is that digital is now an essential utility and access to it should be treated as such, and second that accessing key public services online must be simple and safe.
Thirdly, digital should fit into people’s lives and not be an additional burden, especially for the most disadvantaged.
Fourth is that digital skills should be fundamental to education and training throughout life, and fifth that there must be cross-sector efforts to provide free and open evidence on digital exclusion.
Research findings
The research builds on evidence that one in five children who had been home schooled in 2021 did not have access to an appropriate device, and only 36% of people with no formal educational qualification use the internet, compared with 95% who have been through higher education.
Other significant findings are that 56% of adult non-users of the internet are disabled, 62% of adults and 81% of 12-15 year-olds have had at least one potentially harmful experience online in the past 12 months, and 86% of 16-24 year-old internet users had offered assistance to someone else, almost half of them doing so on a weekly basis.
In addition, 2.5 million people were behind on their broadband bills even before the cost of living crisis arose.
The review also highlights the importance of motivation, with some people not being able to see the benefit of engaging digitally or that it feels too costly or difficult for them to do so, and that some feel a stigma around not knowing how to use a computer and do not ask for help.
Using evidence
Elizabeth Anderson, chief operating officer of the Digital Poverty Alliance, said: “To achieve digital equity in an increasingly digital world, we need to first know what the evidence tells us. That’s why we’re launching this landmark evidence review as the first step to ending digital poverty once and for all.
“And it’s not about ‘us’ or ‘them’ - all of us will fall in and out of digital inclusion based on our life circumstances.
“That’s why it’s going to take bold, cross-sector efforts to make the change we need. This has to be change at a national scale – but local communities and individuals are a hugely important part of solving this. So join us – pledge your support now and be part of creating change.”
