Paper presented at IR9, Kobenhavn, 18/10/2008

1. Technology And Social Change Research Centre
A decade of plus ca change?
UK Digital Divides 1996-2006
Ben Anderson
IR9, Kobenhavn © 2008, University of Essex Saturday, 18 October 2008

2. Technology And Social Change Research Centre
Contents
• Why do we care?
• UK trends in inequality: Access
• UK trends in inequality: e-Commerce
• Conclusions: Plus ca change?
istr.essex.ac.uk/tasc © 2008, University of Essex

3. Technology And Social Change Research Centre
Why do we care?
• Access to & usage of public services
• Increasingly online/technology mediated
• The most in need are traditionally the technology
laggards
• -> issues of ‘addressable market’
• Access to & usage of private services
• Online commerce may enable cost/time savings
• But do the better off benefit the most?
• Access to & usage of ‘social life’ services
• Increasing role of technology mediated social
relationships for support, information
• Taken for granted…ness
istr.essex.ac.uk/tasc © 2008, University of Essex

4. Technology And Social Change Research Centre
Contents
• Why do we care?
• UK trends in inequality: Access
• UK trends in inequality: e-Commerce
• Conclusions: Plus ca change?
istr.essex.ac.uk/tasc © 2008, University of Essex

5. Technology And Social Change Research Centre
UK Household ICT access
• Source: Family Expenditure Survey/Expenditure and Food Survey 1996-2006, yearly n approximately 7,500
• Base: All households
istr.essex.ac.uk/tasc © 2008, University of Essex

6. Technology And Social Change Research Centre
Means of home internet access I
• Source: Family Expenditure Survey/Expenditure and Food Survey 1996-2006, yearly n approximately 7,500
• Base: All internet households
istr.essex.ac.uk/tasc © 2008, University of Essex

7. Technology And Social Change Research Centre
Means of internet access II
• Source: Family Expenditure Survey/Expenditure and Food Survey 1996-2006, yearly n approximately 7,500
• Base: All internet households
istr.essex.ac.uk/tasc © 2008, University of Essex

8. Technology And Social Change Research Centre
Social equity of ICT access
• Lets play guess the technologies:
• Household Internet Access
• Fixed line telephone
• Mobile telephone (1 or more)
• By employment status of household
response person
• NS-SEC 1 (high), NS-SEC 2 (medium), NS-
SEC 3 - (low)
• Inactive - not working
• Retired
istr.essex.ac.uk/tasc © 2008, University of Essex

9. Technology And Social Change Research Centre
Which one is this?
• Access Gap =
difference between
highest & lowest
• Source: Family Expenditure Survey/Expenditure and Food Survey 1996-2006, yearly n approximately 7,500
• Base: All household response persons in each social group
istr.essex.ac.uk/tasc © 2008, University of Essex

10. Technology And Social Change Research Centre
And this?
• Source: Family Expenditure Survey/Expenditure and Food Survey 1996-2006, yearly n approximately 7,500
• Base: All household response persons in each social group
istr.essex.ac.uk/tasc © 2008, University of Essex

11. Technology And Social Change Research Centre
And this?
• Source: Family Expenditure Survey/Expenditure and Food Survey 1996-2006, yearly n approximately 7,500
• Base: All household response persons in each social group
istr.essex.ac.uk/tasc © 2008, University of Essex

12. Technology And Social Change Research Centre
Social equity of ICT access
• Fixed line telephone
• Mobile(s)
• Internet access
• Source: Family Expenditure Survey/Expenditure and Food Survey 1996-2006, yearly n approximately 7,500
• Base: All household response persons in each social group
istr.essex.ac.uk/tasc © 2008, University of Essex

13. Technology And Social Change Research Centre
But what about other factors?
• Year by year multivariate analysis - Household Internet Access
• Also included - tenure, region, accommodation type (not shown)
istr.essex.ac.uk/tasc © 2008, University of Essex

14. Technology And Social Change Research Centre
But what about other factors?
• Year by year multivariate analysis - Mobile telephony
• Also included - tenure, sex, region, accommodation type (not shown)
istr.essex.ac.uk/tasc © 2008, University of Essex

15. Technology And Social Change Research Centre
Comparing effects
• Year by year multivariate analysis
• Major effects shown
istr.essex.ac.uk/tasc © 2008, University of Essex

16. Technology And Social Change Research Centre
Contents
• Why do we care?
• UK trends in inequality: Access
• UK trends in inequality: e-Commerce
• Conclusions: Plus ca change?
istr.essex.ac.uk/tasc © 2008, University of Essex

17. Technology And Social Change Research Centre
E-commerce Trends I
• % bought at least one item online in last 3 months
• Source: Family Expenditure Survey/Expenditure and Food Survey 1996-2006, yearly n approximately 7,500
• Base: All households (left), All households with internet access (right)
istr.essex.ac.uk/tasc © 2008, University of Essex

18. Technology And Social Change Research Centre
E-commerce Trends II
• Mean number of online purchases in last 3 months
• Source: Family Expenditure Survey/Expenditure and Food Survey 1996-2006, yearly n approximately 7,500
• Base: All households (left), All households with internet access (right)
istr.essex.ac.uk/tasc © 2008, University of Essex

19. Technology And Social Change Research Centre
E-commerce Trends III
• Mean weekly value of online purchases
• Source: Family Expenditure Survey/Expenditure and Food Survey 1996-2006, yearly n approximately 7,500
• Base: All households (left), All households with internet access (right)
istr.essex.ac.uk/tasc © 2008, University of Essex

20. Technology And Social Change Research Centre
E-commerce Trends IV
• Mean weekly value of online purchases (divided by income decile)
• Source: Family Expenditure Survey/Expenditure and Food Survey 1996-2006, yearly n approximately 7,500
• Base: All households (left), All households with internet access (right)
istr.essex.ac.uk/tasc © 2008, University of Essex

21. Technology And Social Change Research Centre
E-commerce Trends IV (reprise)
• Mean weekly value of online purchases (divided by income decile) - 4 Q moving
average
• Source: Family Expenditure Survey/Expenditure and Food Survey 1996-2006, yearly n approximately 7,500
• Base: All households (left), All households with internet access (right)
istr.essex.ac.uk/tasc © 2008, University of Essex

22. Technology And Social Change Research Centre
Contents
• Why do we care?
• UK trends in inequality: Access
• UK trends in inequality: e-Commerce
• Conclusions
istr.essex.ac.uk/tasc © 2008, University of Essex

23. Technology And Social Change Research Centre
Access: Plus ca change?
• For those who have internet access at home:
• Mostly market provision -> social stratification persists
• Lack of access in non-working, older age groups with low
income & ‘social renters’ - persistent Access Gap
• Mobile telephony
• Purely market provision -> very little social stratification!
• Even age effects are diluting - Access Gap is narrowing
• Implications?
• Public services - media channels and ‘reachable
audience’ critical, emphasis on mobiles for access
equity?
• Justification for ‘mobile’ intervention measures?
istr.essex.ac.uk/tasc © 2008, University of Essex

24. Technology And Social Change Research Centre
E-Commerce: conflicting trends?
• Given home-based internet access
• ‘Lower status’ groups appear less likely to do it
• And to purchase fewer items
• And to spend less
• But their spend, as a proportion of income, appears quite
similar (except for the ‘retired’)
• Future Research
• Are there differences in items purchased?
• Does overall consumption increase?
• Is there evidence of time vs cost savings at different ends
of the income range? Is this what the ‘inactive’ are doing?
• How does location of access - home vs ‘institution’ - make
a difference?
istr.essex.ac.uk/tasc © 2008, University of Essex

25. Technology And Social Change Research Centre
Thank you
• benander@essex.ac.uk
istr.essex.ac.uk/tasc © 2008, University of Essex