Helen Milner Digital Inclusion And Digital Engagement 6 Oct 2009

Section Divider: Heading intro here. Digital Inclusion & Digital Engagement Helen Milner, 6 October 2009

Digital inclusion: getting offline people online Digital engagement: helping online people to do the things they want and need to

Digital Britain: Being Digital

“ To ensure that everyone can share in the benefits of a Digital Britain.”

The goal is not to get people using technology, it’s about the uses of technology to impact on and transform people’s lives.

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25% of adults have never used the internet Source: ONS 2008

More than half people (54%) in lower social grades have never used the internet Higher social grades (AB) are twice as likely to use the internet (88%) as people from the lowest social grades (DE) (46%) Reinforces 2008 ICM/UK online centres data which indicates that of the total offline population 11% are AB compared with 49% DE OxiS 2009

It is a case of social equity: 97% of people in the highest income category (>£40,000) compared to only 38% of those in the lowest income (<£12,500) category Source OxiS 2009

It’s about PEOPLE not PIPES

The divide is narrowing but getting deeper. In 2009 C2DEs make up 74% of all people without internet access compared to 70% in 2008. ICM/UK online centres 2008 and 2009

So what are newly online people doing online?

Why (C2DE) users started using the internet “ Does the internet improve lives?” Freshminds April, 2009

Internet users confidence in their ability to find work out-stripped non users by 25% “ Does the internet improve lives?” Freshminds April, 2009

Community economic benefits: Australia

ATKearney economic model

Atherton Gardens Estate, Fitzroy, Melbourne

A$5.9m benefit (in five years, over 900 computers installed)

A$4.1m through education and employment

A$1.3m through communication and connectivity

A$0.2m in transactional efficiencies

A$0.3m in health and well-being

“ Assessing the economic benefits of digital inclusion” ATKearney and Infoxchange Australia 2009

BUT only 15% of people living in deprived areas have used a local or central government online service or website in the last year Source: Ofcom, March 2009

AND digital skills and motivations are likely to vary once people are online: 53% of retired online people think they have the ICT competence they need compared to 93% of online students OxiS 2009

Getting more people online Barriers remain the same in 2009 as in 2007 Freshminds 2007 and 2009 Access: 38% Skills & Confidence: 20% Motivation: 34%

So what can we do to get more people online?

Build on what we know and what we’ve got

70% of people who live in social housing aren’t online: a full 28% of everyone not online Sources: 70% Oxford Internet Survey 2007 28% ICM 2008

Government Strategy Group for Social Housing and Digital Inclusion * Action Plan to be presented to John Healey and Martha Lane Fox before Christmas

Digital inclusion activity needs to be both mass and targeted

Mass: 3500 UK online centres which includes many partner organisations

Mencap, MIND (54), Nacro, Centre Point (5), Foyer (7), Age Concern (39), Rehab, Lifeline, RNIB, RNID, Access Group, Coalition for Inclusive Living, SureStart (25), Pitman, CSV Media (6), WEA (23), YMCA (25), Citizens Advice (2), Peabody Trust (4), learndirect, Everybody Online Centres

Mosques, job centres, youth centres, schools, health centres, mobiles, housing associations, libraries, community centres

Targeted: there is a UK online centre in 85% of the third most deprived areas

Target groups: Primary purpose

Older people:

246 centres specialise in working with people aged 50+, including 39 Age Concern centres

150 centres part of Older Learner Champions network

384 centres took part in “It’s Never Too Late” campaign

Minority ethnic groups:

218 centres supporting BME groups: including Latin American, Kurd, Iranian, West Indian, Greek Cypriot, Chinese, Bangladeshi. Centres in mosques and Sikh temples