The Digital Poverty Alliance (DPA) has launched a major evidence review which unveils the state of digital poverty in the UK for the first time.

UK Evidence Review 2022 – Inclusion to Equity, which has been launched at the House of Lords, finds that digital poverty is a much wider issue than just making sure people are online or have a computer.

Instead, widening differences in connection, devices, skills, and experiences all play a crucial role in exacerbating inequalities and social divisions across the country, as well as introducing new ones.

The DPA’s research builds on evidence that one in five children who were home schooled in 2021 did not have access to an appropriate device, and that around 11 million people in the UK lack the digital skills needed for everyday life.

Additionally, only 36% of those with no formal educational qualifications use the internet, compared to 95% of those with higher education qualifications. Even before the cost-of-living crisis, 2.5m people were behind on their broadband bills.

The report also revealed that motivation is a hugely important part of addressing digital exclusion. This means that if people are not able to see the benefit of engaging digitally, if it feels too difficult, or too costly, then they won’t.

However, the growing stigma around not knowing how to use a computer puts people off asking for help. And with each development, there is a growing gap. Being able to use a smartphone does not mean you know how to use a computer, use digital banking or how to join a zoom meeting.

Using this evidence, the DPA community of corporate, public, government and third sector partners created five principles for solving digital poverty. These principles will guide the formation of a National Delivery Plan, pulled together by the DPA community and experts, that sets out clearly what actions need to be taken by who – and by when – to end digital poverty by 2030.

Commenting on the review, Elizabeth Anderson, COO at the DPA, said: “To achieve digital equity in an increasingly digital world, we need to first know what the evidence tells us. That’s why we’re launching this landmark evidence review as the first step to ending digital poverty once and for all.

“And it’s not about ‘us’ or ‘them’ – all of us will fall in and out of digital inclusion based on our life circumstances.

“That’s why it’s going to take bold, cross-sector efforts to make the change we need. This has to be changed at a national scale – but local communities and individuals are a hugely important part of solving this. So join us – pledge your support now and be part of creating change.”

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Dr Kira Allmann, author of the Evidence Review and Public Engagement Researcher, added: “The digital world is not a world apart – it’s completely embedded in the world we live in every day, and this is true even for people without access.

“This evidence review offers a much-needed update to our understanding of the factors contributing to digital poverty in today’s pervasively digitised world. It shows that beyond the familiar online-offline divide, digital poverty is also the product of social inequalities that have been built into and exacerbated by the design of technologies and services.

“Eradicating digital poverty will depend not only on bolstering digital access and skills among the least connected, but also on cultivating a digital economy and tech sector underpinned by diversity, inclusivity, accessibility, privacy, safety, fairness, and equity.”

Allmann added: “This is a radical shift in how we need to think about digital poverty going forward – at this point, it’s far more than a question of simply getting more people online; it’s a question of ensuring that digitisation doesn’t deepen inequalities or introduce new forms of inequality for us all.”

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