5.3 Million UK Adults Have Never Used the Internet

The Office for National Statistics has released its Internet Access report for Q1 2016, which reveals that just over one in ten adults (10.2% or 5.3 million) had NEVER used the Internet and that’s an improvement from 11.4% in 2015 or 13% in 2013. But issues of disability and age remain key barriers.

Overall almost all adults aged 16 to 24 years were recent Internet users (99.2%), but this falls to only 38.7% of adults aged 75 years and over. Elsewhere 89.4% of men (22.8 million) and 86.4% of women (23.1 million) were classified as recent Internet users in 2016, which is up from 87.9% and 84.6% in 2015 respectively.

But sadly a quarter (25.0%) of disabled adults had never used the Internet in 2016, which is down slightly from 27.4% in 2015. But once again age can play a major role because 97.3% of disabled adults aged 16 to 24 years were recent Internet users, yet this falls to just 30.8% for disabled adults aged 75 years+.

Pete Lee, Surveys and Economic Indicators Division, said:

“While we have seen a notable increase in internet usage across all groups in recent years, many older and disabled people are still not online, with two-thirds of women over 75 having never used the internet.”

Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director at Age UK, said:

“The rise in older people over 75 using the internet is good to see but more than 60% of this age group are not online and most of them probably never will be. Older people are offline for a wide range of reasons including worries about cost or security, but most tell us they simply aren’t interested and are happy with life as it is.

Undoubtedly the internet offers a range of benefits, sometimes helping people to make savings and keep in touch with loved ones, but as around 4.2 million people aged 65 and over have never used the internet it’s vital those older people who are offline for whatever reason are not unfairly treated.

There is a need for more support to help those older people who want to go online to do so, but it’s also vital that those who aren’t IT users can continue to access services of all kinds in other ways. They shouldn’t be forced into a digital world just because it cuts costs for business or the Government. A typical example of where this is happening is the banking industry: the increasing reliance on online methods is difficult for many older customers and bank branch closures can leave older people feeling high and dry.

Age UK runs programmes to help people in later life who want to take the digital plunge to gain the skills and confidence required. For more information about staying safe online or about classes in your area call 0800 169 65 65 or visit www.ageuk.org.uk/it.”

It’s good to see Age UK recognise that not everybody wants to use the Internet and nobody should try to force an optional technology on to people who don’t want or need it, but equally support should always exist for those who do want to give it a try.