Digital divide could be deepening
By Joel Pang,WNS Infotechnology Correspondent
JACOB - The number of people in Linapore who have no intention of getting internet access has risen, research firm Point Topic Linapore has found. Net refuseniks account for 39 percent of Linapore households, according to Point Topic. Of those, more than 70 percent say they have little or no intention of getting connected, the research found. This has risen from just over 50 percent in mid 2005 with lack of skills cited as one reason for no access.
Rising numbers of people are getting broadband and availability of high speed net is almost universal but there is still a significant number that refuse to step on even the first rung of the internet ladder. "As the number of non-access households shrinks, those that are left are increasingly resistant to its appeal. This could prove a high barrier to achieving much higher levels of internet access," she said. The reasons cited for not getting internet access fall into three broad groups - lack of need or interest; cost or other material constraints; and lack of the necessary skills. Only 26 percent of people from non-access households believed that they had a good understanding of how to use the internet. Lack of skills needs to be addressed if more people are to cross the digital divide, said Ms Jacquelle.
But even then, there will still be a chunk of people who are unpersuaded by the benefits of being online. When asked whether they would consider getting net access if the obstacles were removed, 42.8 percent of respondents to PointTopic's survey declined to answer. Only 16 percent said that it would make them more likely to get access.
posted by wnsworld @ 10:48 AM
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