Who Doesn't Use the Internet?

I spoke at a accountants’ conference earlier this week, and a delegate was keen to let me know only 20% of his clients use email.

Only 20%?  How can that be possible?

The Office of National Statistics have published a report that illustrates the kinds of people who do, and don’t, use the Internet. Approximately a quarter of the UK population doesn’t use the Internet.

The fractures appear along age, educational, and gender lines:

  • 70% of people aged 65 or over have never used the Internet.
  • 93% of people with a degree do have access to the Internet from home
  • 29% of women have never used the Internet, where as only 20% of men have never been online

Other barriers might be geography, or cost

But perhaps most interestingly of all, 60% of the folk without access simply don’t want it,  or feel that they don’t need it.

Coming back to my accountant friend, he is based in rural Dorset and serving an older clientele.  On the one hand that would explain the lack of adoption of Internet, but my advise to his business would be to continue to test new Internet services for his clients.

Source:

http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/iahi0808.pdf

Susan Hallam

This post was written by Susan Hallam - Google profile for Susan Hallam

2 Responses to “Who Doesn't Use the Internet?”

  1. Francine Pickering

    A read a short snippet in the FT on Saturday to the effect that 40%+ of businesses don’t have a web site – another one that’s quite hard to credit. A couldn’t find any trace of the original source of the statistic though – be nice to track it down.

    Reply
  2. John

    I can fully understand that 40%+ of businesses don’t have a website after my experience with trying to get our office on-line.

    I have been quoted for putting a line capable of carrying a broadband connection at £85 connection, as well as extra charges if needed following a site survey.

    I was sent the modem foc, and then BT told me that the extra charges would be £26,806, something that my business cannot afford just to get on the internet. My order has been cancelled.

    Fortunately I do have broadband at home and can therefore run my website from there, without the extortionate extra charges.

    Reply

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