| Online Nation, Report 2021 - 09/06/2021 |
| OFCOM |
| TELECOM/ICT Policy Makers and Regulators | Europe | United Kingdom |
| The pandemic has highlighted the importance of being online and driven changes in the take-up and use of Internet services, as many people have had a critical reliance on the internet for communications, information, entertainment, and commerce. Increases in internet use in 2020 were most pronounced during the spring and November lockdowns, as people turned to the internet for video calling for socialising or home-based working, films and gaming, shopping, and information about the pandemic. While the pandemic has brought increased reliance on the internet and online services, the digital divide continues to prevent the benefits of internet connectivity being available to all. A small percentage of the population do not have Internet access – with older people and those in lower socio-economic groups less likely to be connected – but other barriers also exist, in the lack of skills and confidence that some Internet users have, and in the availability of suitable devices to access internet services. The smartphone appears to be the ‘base layer’ of connectivity, with more users in lower socio-economic groups relying on this device for internet access without a computer. Fortytwo per cent of internet users in the DE socio-economic group only use devices other than a computer to go online, raising questions about how restricted some groups may be in activities like filling in online forms. |
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