What is the digital divide?

When the phrase was first used, it referred only to the use of computers. More recently the definition has been extended to include the use of telecommunications and broadband/internet access — reflecting how central connectivity has become to everyday life.

The divide can be caused by the availability of hardware or software, or both. It also affects people who do not have access because of where they live — such as rural areas — or because of lower levels of education, poverty, or living in a less technologically developed country.

A survey by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in 2018 showed that 5.3 million Britons had either never gone online or had not used the internet in the last three months. This had reduced markedly since 2011, but still represented approximately 10% of the adult UK population.

The ONS report referenced the Tech Partnership Basic Digital Skills framework. This framework describes five skills used to measure digital inclusion — in other words, whether someone is on the right side of the digital divide. To be considered as having a skill, a person only needs to be able to carry out one of the listed activities under it.