Oxis 2019: Digital Divides in Britain are Narrowing But Deepening

31 Pages Posted: 18 Feb 2020

See all articles by Grant Blank

Grant Blank

University of Oxford - Oxford Internet Institute

William H. Dutton

GCSCC Computer Science University of Oxford

Julia Lefkowitz

Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford

Date Written: January 19, 2020

Abstract

The existence of a ‘digital divide’ has been one of the key social issues of the Internet since its early diffusion at the turn of the twenty-first century. Over time, as access to the Internet has become increasingly central to everyday life, those without access to broadband infrastructures, digital devices, and Internet skills have been socially, politically and economically disadvantaged. Therefore, critical questions remain about levels of access and skills that shape who uses and does not use the Internet, why, and what difference this makes. This report summarizes recent broad changes in the digital divide in Britain. The digital divide has narrowed but about 15 percent of the British population remains offline. At the same time, those who are online have markedly intensified their use. They are using more devices and doing more online. The nuances of these trends are fleshed out using 23 graphics and accompanying commentary. In addition to fundamental demographic factors like age, education, income and literacy, we present data on the relationships between divides and variables such as gender, employment marital status, ethnicity, disability, urban/rural residence, social grade and children in the household.

Keywords: Internet, digital divide, United Kingdom, Oxford Internet Survey, OxIS, next generation users

Suggested Citation

Blank, Grant and Dutton, William H. and Lefkowitz, Julia, Oxis 2019: Digital Divides in Britain are Narrowing But Deepening (January 19, 2020). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3522083 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3522083

Grant Blank (Contact Author)

University of Oxford - Oxford Internet Institute ( email )

1 St. Giles
University of Oxford
Oxford OX1 3PG Oxfordshire, Oxfordshire OX1 3JS
United Kingdom

William H. Dutton

GCSCC Computer Science University of Oxford ( email )

Department of Computer Science
Robert Hooke Bldg 010
Oxford, Oxfordshire OX1 3PR
United Kingdom

Julia Lefkowitz

Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford

1 St. Giles
Oxford, Oxfordshire OX1 3JS
United Kingdom

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
819
Abstract Views
3,381
Rank
55,386
PlumX Metrics