Why are more people not online?

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7 November 2001 News

No need, no interest, no money keep billions away.

In the developed world, in our 'digital' age, the Internet is literally in your face. Opportunities to go online are everywhere, and an estimated 400 hundred million people use the World Wide Web daily. Yet, according to international research firm Ipsos-Reid, billions of people have neither heard of the Internet nor have any intention of going online anytime soon. Even in 'First World' countries, about one-third of people who could use the Internet choose not to. In fact, it estimates that, of the world's 6 billion citizens, only about 6% are online. Why?

Brian Cruikshank at Ipsos-Reid believes the answer is twofold. He says, "In the developed world, a substantial number of people who could very easily go online have decided not to. They see no compelling reason to be on the Web. The hype and the promise of the Internet clearly has not impressed them - not yet, at least. For others the cost of accessing the Internet competes with the cost for basic necessities and access availability is very limited outside of urban areas."

The most frequently mentioned reasons for staying offline were 'have no need for the Internet' (40%), 'no computer' (33%), 'no interest' (25%), 'do not know how to use it' (16%), 'cost' (12%), or 'no time' (10%). In lesser developed poorer countries, cost and access were unsurprisingly cited as barriers more often than in major industrialised countries. In urban South Africa and urban India, Ipsos-Reid found that only one-quarter of the population has access to the Internet, and fewer than 10% of people report being recent users.

"Far from being dead, the Internet has a large growth potential everywhere, but progress is destined to be slower than previously envisioned." Cruikshank adds, "To expand the reach of the Web in developing countries, public venues -libraries, schools, offices and Internet cafés - will have to play a more crucial role."

www.ipsos-reid.com

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