News and Insights

Let’s Address the Underlying Causes of Digital Exclusion: A Lack of Confidence and Motivation

31/01/2023

While a lack of access and underlying socioeconomic inequalities have rightly been highlighted as notable causes of digital exclusion, other important factors contribute to a persistent digital divide: including a lack of confidence and motivation. According to the Lloyds 2022 Consumer Digital Index, 6.7 million (or 13%) of online users report a lack of confidence in using digital services and tools, such as financial and public services.[1] It has also been noted that people with limited digital literacy are less likely to report “confidence and satisfaction with remote [medical] consultations”.[2]

Unfortunately, it is those people in “lower-skilled jobs at risk of automation” that display the lowest levels of confidence when it comes to navigating this digital landscape.[3] Here emerges, however, a catch-22: although “current workers blamed their poor digital confidence on a lack of training”, many people also refrain from taking part in such training initiatives due to a lack of confidence.[4] 

Closely related to the confidence as a barrier to digital inclusion is motivation. The Good Things Foundation’s report “Digital Motivation: Exploring the reasons people are offline” from 2019 explored a lack of motivation as a key driver in increased digital exclusion, which were divided into distinct groups.[5]

1. Those non-users who said that “It’s not for me”, saying that digital tools and internet services does not add anything to their current situation.

2.  Non-users who felt that they lacked adequate support to get online.

3. Many who lack confidence say that going online is too complicated, which includes not just a lack of basic digital skills but an insufficient understanding of how the internet works.

4. Others reported that they lacked the motivation to go online due to the cost of accessing the internet and relevant technologies (laptop, phone, etc.).

Thus, while a lack of digital skills training initiatives is an important factor for understanding the digital divide, we also need to acknowledge that a lack confidence and motivation are significant barriers to creating a digitally inclusive society.  

References

[1] https://www.lloydsbank.com/assets/media/pdfs/banking_with_us/whats-happening/221103-lloyds-consumer-digital-index-2022-report.pdf

[2] Hider, S, et al. (2023). “Digital exclusion as a potential cause of inequalities in access to care: a survey in people with inflammatory rheumatic diseases”. Rheumatology Advances in Practice, 7(1): Rkac109.

[3] https://www.goodthingsfoundation.org/insights/shocks-knocks-and-skill-building-blocks/

[4] https://www.techuk.org/resource/growing-digital-skills-gap-threatens-britain-s-ambitions-as-the-next-silicon-valley.html. https://www.computerweekly.com/news/252472246/Futurenow-launch-biggest-barrier-for-digital-skills-is-motivation

[5] https://www.goodthingsfoundation.org/insights/digital-motivation/