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Hello, my name is Elinam and I am a R&C volunteer here at Citizens Advice Stevenage. I am currently working on a project looking into the Digital Divide and the issue of Digital Exclusion in Stevenage. 

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Digital exclusion is when communities within a population are at a disproportionate disadvantage regarding being able to use Information and Communications Technologies (ICT). 1 in 20 people in the UK do not have access to the internet in their homes and 2.1 million people are not online.  

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The aim of this project is to understand how widespread the issue of digital exclusion is in Stevenage and the extent to which it impacts people within our community. For example, the digital divide can affect people’s livelihoods, social participation within society or their ability to complete tasks online. Being digitally excluded can impact people’s financial circumstances, as well as their health. With numerous services now being online such as banking, the NHS or income-related benefit accounts (such as Universal Credit) for people who face exclusionary barriers, this makes accessing valuable information much more difficult. 

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In addition, a large part of the project into digital exclusion has involved conducting extensive research into what digital exclusion is, the scale of the problem nationally and the current measures being taken to increase digital inclusion and participation. Alongside this, we have also created a digital exclusion survey to gather local data to understand how many people are digitally excluded in one form or another. The questions included in the survey aim to highlight people’s accessibility to digital resources, the level of digital skills they acquire and their confidence using digital devices and being online. The results of this survey will support the report writing section of this project and help us identify what services and guidance people may need to best support them.  

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To access the digital exclusion survey, you can either click on the link provided to the blog page or alternatively click on this link -  Digital Exclusion Survey – Fill out form and it will take you directly to the form.   

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From this project we hope to increase the knowledge surrounding the Digital Divide and the ways people may have limited digital capabilities. To help reduce the extent of the issue of the digital divide in Stevenage, we are interested in collaborating with local groups such as the Stevenage Library, signposting people to the readily available services that are being provided and encouraging people to use them should they wish to. Additionally, part of our plans also includes setting up workshops with local groups where people can learn new skills. More information about these groups, as well as access to Stevenage Library services, can be found by clicking the link to the blog page.  

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Overall, we hope that not only will the wider community be more aware of the presence of digital exclusion within our local area but also that our message reaches services such as GP practices, the NHS, banks and other organisations or groups such as local Schools. With the increased digitalisation of these essential services, we would like to ensure that there are systems that accommodate everyone’s needs, including having accessible services that still provide an option for in-person support for people who cannot access services online.