One-Third of the Adults Have No Access to the Web
According to a recent research conducted by the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE), almost 33 percent of adults do not have access to the internet.
The research also reveals that almost a third of adults do not even have regular access to a computer.
These results have left many astounded, as it is hard to believe that in this age of mobile phones and 3G handsets, people still do not have access to such basic facilities. It is commonly believed that most people have easy access to the web and broadband services, but the reality is far from this. The survey was conducted among 5,000 adults, and the results showed that the use of online services depends greatly on class and income.
It was found that almost 86 per cent of adults have regular access to a computer from the AB socio-economic group, while just 45 per cent from the DE group have access to computers. NIACE considers this a bleak and disheartening reality. .
Senior programme director at NIACE, Rachel Thomson, said that all the research that NIACE has gathered over the years has led to the conclusion that there is a strong link between the learning poor, the economically poor and the digitally poor. Although the Government has made plans for a broadband 2012 pledge, this study shows that there is still much that needs to be done in this area.
