Motivational barriers preventing people from using the internet
This research, conducted in partnership with Prof. Simeon Yates (University of Liverpool) and BT, reveals the specific reasons people say they are unmotivated or unwilling to engage with the internet or digital technologies.
Why are some people unwilling to use the internet?
The motivation – or willingness – to engage with and use digital technology has been explored through a variety of research and data projects, interventions and evaluations in the UK. Although it is recognised as a key issue and unpacked to some extent, it hadn’t been investigated in depth in its own right.
This project’s primary research aim was to understand the specific reasons people in the UK give for being offline, in greater depth and granularity than any other available research.
We identified four main groups of people in terms of the reasons and barriers they describe for not being online:
- Believing the internet is not for them
- Feeling like they don’t have the right support or devices to use the internet
- Thinking the internet is too complicated
- Being unable to afford the internet
It is important to note that these four main groups are not distinct and people may fall into more than one. The four main groups also don’t tell the whole story. Through our research interviews we identified a number of personas within each of these groups. These personas each have separate support needs, details of which can be found in the report and materials.
“The internet isn’t for me.”
These are non-users who state the internet is not for them or “people like me” and do not see the personal benefit in being online. They have had no real need or purpose by which to go online. As a result, they do not see how the internet can add value to their current situation. Some people within this group also have an underlying fear of using the internet.
3.8 million people think the internet is “not for them.”
“I don’t have the right support to use the internet.”
Some non-users of the internet report they do not have the right support. This could be access to the support they feel they need in order to get online, or the actual devices required to do this.
1.6 million people felt they lacked the necessary support to use the internet.
“The internet is too complicated.”
Another reason that non-users cite for being offline is that the internet is too complicated for them. This reason may be used so as to mask their own abilities if they do not have the skills to go online. These are not just basic digital skills but also an understanding of how the internet works. Importantly it may include the critical skills to judge digital content to stay safe online.
1.4 million people find the internet too complicated to use.
“The internet is too expensive.”
The final barrier identified for non-users in this research is the cost of accessing the internet. This is related to the affordability of devices as well as connection costs for running these devices.
940,000 people find the internet too expensive