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The digital divide is deepening in the UK, with the most tech-savvy households embracing the internet while a growing number of standouts are being left behind, according to new research.The latest results from Broadband Consumer Survey 2 (CS2) of Point Topic's BroadBand User Service found that the proportion of non-access households that think it is not important to have home access to the internet has increased steeply between mid-2005 and early 2006, from 51.7 to 74.6 per cent.
Number of UK web refuseniks rockets [vnunet.com]
I'm not sure the term "rockets" is quite right, but, I do know a number of people that are resitant, however, they are, generally, quite elderly.
They interviewed 'a sample' (10? 100? 10,000?) of people with no internet connection and got excited about their replies.
What they didn't bother to say is the number of people with no internet connection is the lowest ever, and still falling. So these people, whatever their stated reasons, are gradually coming over.
Probably a simple matter of people getting p***ed of with researchers demanding to know why they won't buy something. I'll bet half the respondents thought the interviewer was a broadband seller - half of me suspects that, too!
This month, my site is getting almost three times as much traffic from Australia and Canada than from the UK, which is slightly more than the visitors from the US Military and the Netherlands.
So these people, whatever their stated reasons, are gradually coming over.
No they're not. They're dying.
My parents are over 80 and they still have quite a few friends alive in the same age range. I dont know any of them that even own a computer.
[edited by: JudgeJeffries at 2:12 am (utc) on Oct. 25, 2006]
Ann
Read it, read it, and then read it again!
Then and only then you will realize it is complete nonsence!
It is simply saying that certain people, mainly the older folks, will never be Internet capable. Well that ain't news, that is common sense!
My parents can't operate the VCR, let alone a DVR, let alone the Internet. They have no desire to try.....this isn't news, it is just common sense!
The old have wisdom, the young have technology.....the mix is volatile....I must be old as I will choose wisdom over technology everyday!
Granted, many of the nonwebbers are older people - but by no means all; I know many in their fifites, and some younger than that who never touch the web; these are the group that are susceptible to being educated by their kids, or having to learn for work purposes.
Either way, it's a shrinking group, and surveys that talk of 'refuseniks' rocketing are either bad surveys, or bad journalism*
*Or both.
think it is not important to have home access to the internet has increased steeply
Could be, of course, that they are happy to use their employers internet connection.;)
With my travel sites, Monday gets twice as many visitors as Saturday does.
All those who think it is important to have a home connection are the ones who will leave the non connected population.
