Nine million Britons 'have never used Internet'

Elderly, widowed and people on lower incomes never used internet

PTI | August 30, 2010



You may call it a generation gap in technology, but over nine million British adults have never used the Internet, official figures have revealed.

According to the UK's Office of National Statistics, the figures mainly include the elderly, widowed and people on lower incomes who are less likely to connect to the Internet, the 'Daily Mail' reported.

The ONS figures show that one per cent of 16 to 24-year-olds have never used the Internet, compared to 60 per cent of over-65s. Today more than 38 million adults in the UK are online -- with 30 million accessing the web every day.

Mark Williams from the ONS said: "Since 2006 we have seen a significant increase in the number of people using the Internet, with the number of adults accessing the Internet ever day almost doubling to just over 30 million, though the UK is some way off from being completely online.

"Usage is closely linked with a number of socio- economic and demographic indicators with those less educated and on lower incomes less likely to access the web."

Campaign groups warn Britain faces a "digital divide" if more progress isn't made to get millions more online.

Michelle Mitchell, Charity Director at Age UK, said: "While many older people are embracing the benefits of getting online such as keeping up with friends and family more easily, many people in later life are still missing out.

"It is essential that government, business and the third sector work together to provide old people with bespoke training and support to help them get online. Otherwise the digital divide will continue to deepen."

Prime Minister David Cameron has raised the issue in the past, saying his government was determined to make sure "people aren't left behind as more services and business move online".

Comments

 

Other News

Mofussils: Musings from the Margins

Provincials: Postcards from the Peripheries By Sumana Roy Aleph Book Company, 320 pages, Rs 899 Sumana Roy’s latest work, like its p

How to promote local participation in knowledge sharing

Knowledge is a powerful weapon to help people and improve their lives. Knowledge provides the tools to understand society, solve problems, and empower people to overcome challenges and experience personal growth. Limited sources were available to attain information on the events in and arou

‘The Civil Servant and Super Cop: Modesty, Security and the State in Punjab’

Punjabi Centuries: Tracing Histories of Punjab Edited by Anshu Malhotra Orient BlackSwan, 404 pages, Rs. 2,150

What really happened in ‘The Scam That Shook a Nation’?

The Scam That Shook a Nation By Prakash Patra and Rasheed Kidwai HarperCollins, 276 pages, Rs 399 The 1970s were a

Report of India’s G20 Task Force on Digital Public Infrastructure released

The final ‘Report of India’s G20 Task Force on Digital Public Infrastructure’ by ‘India’s G20 Task Force on Digital Public Infrastructure for Economic Transformation, Financial Inclusion and Development’ was released in New Delhi on Monday. The Task Force was led by the

How the Great War of Mahabharata was actually a world war

Mahabharata: A World War By Gaurang Damani Sanganak Prakashan, 317 pages, Rs 300 Gaurang Damani, a Mumbai-based el

Visionary Talk: Amitabh Gupta, Pune Police Commissioner with Kailashnath Adhikari, MD, Governance Now


Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter