Digital skills charity Go ON UK have published their findings on digital exclusion in the United Kingdom, highlighting that in many areas of the country a high percentage of people do not have access to the internet, or do not hold the skills to use the internet effectively. The Digital Exclusion Heatmap was developed with support from the BBC, as part of their Make It Digital campaign, as well as Lloyds Banking Group, the Local Government Association and The London School of Economics and Political Science.
The Heatmap combines eight metrics in two categories – digital and social – to give a single measure of overall digital exclusion, indicated on a scale of low to high. Digital factors included infrastructure and access, as was well the Go ON UK’s Basic Digital Skills. Social factors included age, education, health and income.
For many rural areas, digital exclusion was highly likely. In many areas, especially in the north of Scotland and in parts of Wales, around 20% of adults had never been online. In these areas, digital factors such as infrastructure may have a significant impact. In others, social factors are more important. Older people are more likely to be digitally excluded, as well as those in poverty or ill-health.
Go ON UK have reported that 23% of people, and more shockingly, 23% of small businesses, do not have vital basic digital skills. These skills include using email or search engines, online banking or shopping, and creating documents. The charity warned that in order for the UK to stay a competitive global economy and society, more people must join the digital world and become digitally literate.
The Government hopes in part to rectify the issues raised by the heatmap with their Broadband Delivery UK campaign. This plans to provide basic internet access (with speeds of at least 2Mbps) to the entire UK, as well as have superfast connections available to 90% of the country by 2016.