One in four Britons feel digitally excluded, writes ADRIAN ROBERTS, and it’s a surprising age group driving it…

The shift to digital in recent years has made life easier for many people, whether it’s being able to quickly make online payments or book an appointment.

But one in four Britons feel they are digitally excluded in some way, research from UK ATM and cash access network Link shows.

Link CEO Adrian Roberts asks Whether the UK is really ready to go fully digital in everything from parking to banking…

Let’s start with a question. How many of the tasks you normally complete on a regular basis are now done digitally?

Maybe not exclusively, but do you usually pay in cash or by card? Do you go to the supermarket or shop online?

These are just a couple of examples that show how much things have changed in recent years.

Much of this change has been positive and has provided great comfort. Renewing passports, signing legal documents or even traveling by car has become much easier and faster.

Payments and banking are good examples. In 2008, more than six in ten transactions were made in cash. Today it is closer to one in ten.

There are real benefits to being able to pay for things online, through contactless cards and increasingly through digital wallets, and much of this innovation has been driven by consumer demand.

The use of cash is an interesting case study. Our data consistently shows that people who rely on cash live in the most deprived areas of the country. But what’s more, they are also more likely to be digitally excluded, whether due to affordability, connectivity or the ability to use technology.

This highlights a key challenge for the country. While great work continues to be done to protect access to cash through new innovations such as Cash Access UK’s shared banking centres, we must now ask ourselves if we are doing enough to help people use digital services.

And it’s not just about access to banking, but also the ability to connect with people and participate in society and the economy. People like and choose to pay with cash, but if given the right access and tools, many will feel confident using alternatives.

That’s why we recently published a new report titled “Is the UK really ready to go digital?” understand the issues and highlight learnings from some of the work we carry out in Wales to help people become more digitally capable.

Some of the research highlights may be surprising. Not only do almost one in four (24 per cent) of UK adults consider themselves digitally excluded in some way, but the proportion is highest among 18-24 year olds (42 per cent), followed by those aged 75 years or older (30 percent). ).

This may seem counterintuitive, but a key factor is the lack of access to reliable broadband and Internet-enabled devices that drives much of this exclusion. The group with the highest levels of digital exclusion were households earning less than £10,000 (44 per cent).

If more services become digital first or digital only, are we comfortable with a sizeable proportion of the population, often the most vulnerable, being left behind or at least with a more expensive or inferior service?

Parking apps cause a lot of frustration for some, but what if people don’t think it’s worth the trip to town anymore? Or if GP surgeries only offer online appointment booking, will people stop visiting their doctor?

Some households are canceling broadband

In Rhonda, South Wales, over a year we set out to understand whether small local interventions can make a difference. Rhonda has one of the highest levels of deprivation in Wales.

While across the UK we are seeing higher levels of digital inclusion, in Rhonda there is evidence to show it is going backwards, especially as many households canceled broadband contracts during the cost of living crisis.

The support, overseen by the LINK consumer council, was delivered by trainers through individual and group sessions who provided free SIM cards or loans of laptops and tablets where necessary to groups ranging from young adults to care home residents. .

Some of the individual results have been hugely positive and the biggest result is that more people are able and confident to complete key life activities online.

There are some clear learnings from the research and the pilot. Firstly, we must recognize that, to some extent, digital exclusion will always be with us. However, there are measures we can take to reduce it.

Of course, better broadband in poorly connected areas is essential. But also, exclusive “digital by design” strategies for essential products and services like banking and healthcare have to stop when there is no alternative for those who cannot use them.

A more joined-up approach between communities and businesses could also have a real impact at a local level to improve skills on the ground. It is not just about recycling old technology for reuse, but also about community interventions on the ground.

The good news is that there is evidence that most of us want to support both. Digital and traditional. If we can get the balance right, it could lead to greater levels of social and economic inclusion and really help people and communities to prosper.

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