Report shows that the digital divide in the UK is particularly significant among the elderly and the disabled

The digital divide in the UK is particularly significant among the elderly people and the disabled. This was the conclusion of a report by Good Things Foundation and Professor Simeon Yates, titled ‘The real digital divide?’. The research uncovered that 15.2 million people in the UK were found to be either ‘non-users’ (defined as people who have no internet access or don’t use the internet even if they have access) or ‘limited users’ (people who rarely and infrequently go online). 47.7% of the ‘non-user’ group were found to have “a long-standing illness, disability or infirmity”, representing around 3.7 million people in the UK. 64.4% of non-users in the report are aged 65 or over. The report is based on a 2015 report from telecommunications regulatory body Ofcom on ‘Adults’ media use and attitudes’