Internet in Britain 2007 – survey shows digital divide still to be bridged

The digital divide is still with us – as shown by the new Oxford Internet Surveys (OxIS) report The Internet in Britain 2007.

The report found that:

• two-thirds of Britons access the internet and used it at home in 2007.
• most of those online at home use broadband.
• more users are mainly dependent on search engines for information – two-thirds in 2007 as opposed to one-fifth in 2005.
• internet use is higher among men, students, those who have been through higher education, and people earning high incomes.
• few people use the internet for civic participation. Less than 10% of people sign e-petitions (the most popular form of online civic pariciptation).
• the most popular online entertainment activities are, not surprisingly, downloading music and videos and playing games
• women, retired people, people with disabilities, and those with lower levels of education and lower earnings access the internet less
• only a quarter of the population has never used the internet.
• only 5% of the population are ex-internet-users.
• non-users tend to say they are non-users because they lack skills to access the internet. Ex-users tend to blame a lack of interest, or no access to the internet. Ex-users use proxy users more than non-users do. (A proxy user is someone accessing the internet on your behalf).
• despite frequently voiced fears that internet users can end up replacing real-world relationships with the virtual world, internet users actually consider themselves to be more extrovert than do non-users.

Find out more about the study findings on the OxIS website now.

By Sarah at UK Broadband Finder