Scottish Government

Indicators of progress: Definitions, data, baseline and trends information

Milestone 29: Accelerating the number of households in disadvantaged areas with access to the Internet

Indicator

The source of the information for this milestone is the Scottish Household Survey. This milestone measures household access to the internet, by those households who own a P.C. and have access the internet or e-mail for personal use from home.

Availability of data

Data are available by type of household, socio-economic group and by income band, from 1999. The questions gathering information on internet access were significantly revised in 2001. Therefore the estimates for 2001 are not comparable with those for 1999 and 2000. The internet access questions asked in 2001 focus on internet use (previously they focussed on internet and email access) and data collected in 2001 is specifically for personal use (previously it focussed on any type of use).

It should be noted that the SHS is not primarily designed to collect income information and therefore the figures are presented in broad net household income bands. Unlike the other references to income in this publication, the household income is not equivalised to take account of size of household.

There is additional analysis on use of the internet by individuals. The revision to the questions in the SHS now allows analysis of internet access and use by the adult population (aged 16 years and over) in private residence in Scotland. This measures use of the internet from any location (home, school, work etc) and any medium (P.C., mobile phone, games console etc). The analysis is by age, gender, income decile, and MOSAIC group.

Scottish MOSAIC is a neighbourhood classification system developed by Experian to distinguish between postcodes in terms of types of housing, housing densities and household characteristics. Based on analysis of variables such as home ownership, car ownership, age, health, employment status and occupation, the classification identifies types of neighbourhoods with similar characteristics. ¹

There is also analysis by urban rural location.

Household Access to the Internet

In 2001, 39 percent of households owned a computer, an increase from 36 percent in 2000 and 30 percent in 1999.

Chart 29a shows household access to the internet in 2001, by household type. In 2001, 28 percent of households contain at least one person who accesses the internet for personal use from home. Of those households who owned their own PC, 71 percent of households contain at least one person who accesses the internet for personal use from home. These estimates should not be compared with the previously published figures, as revisions to the questionnaire in 2001 mean the data is not comparable.

Chart 29a: Access to the Internet from home by household type, 2001

Source : Scottish Household Survey 2001

Notes : Small family household contains two adults and one or two children; Older smaller household contains one adult of non-pensionable age and one of pensionable age and no children or two adults of pensionable age and no children; large adult household contains three or more adults and no children; small adult household contains two adults of non-pensionable age and no children; large family household contains two adults and three or more children, or three or more adults of non-pensionable age and one or more children

Chart 29b shows the pattern of internet access for personal use by socio-economic group. It is clear that those households classified as Urban Establishment and Burdened Borrowers are much more likely to have a PC and to have access to the Internet from home, than those households classified as Council or those the Low Spending Elders. The MOSAIC classification has been revised in 2001 and is not comparable to that used in 2000.

Access to the internet from home by any member of the household is not affected by geographic location, with no statistical differences in internet access based on urban and rural location.

Chart 29b: Access to the Internet from home by MOSAIC group

Source: Scottish Household Survey2001

Use of the Internet by adults

Use of the internet by the adult population (aged 16 years or more) can be measured for the first time in the SHS 2001. In 2001, 31 percent of the adult population made use of the internet for personal use, from anywhere. Of this, 86 percent accessed the internet from home.

Adults from Small and Large Family types are most likely to use the internet. 48 percent of adults from Small family household types currently use the internet, of which 90 percent access the internet from home. Of those from Large family household types, 45 percent of adults use the internet for personal use, of which 91 percent access the internet from home. Single pensioners and adults from older smaller households are the least likely to use the internet, with only 3 percent of single pensioners and 11 percent of adults from the Older smaller household types using the internet.

Chart 29c: Use of the internet for personal use by adults, by household type, 2001

Source: Scottish Household Survey 2001

Men are more likely to use the internet than women (36 percent of men compared with 28 percent of women).

Use of the internet decreases with age. The 16-24 age group are most likely to use the internet with 52 percent of this age group using the internet, compared with 10 percent of those aged 60-74 years. It is the younger age groups who are more likely to access the internet from outside the home. Of those who access the internet, 91 percent of 60-74 year olds access the internet from home, compered with 75 percent of 16-24 year olds.

Chart 29d: Access to the internet by adults, by age group, 2001

Source: Scottish Household Survey 2001

Chart 29e shows that internet use by individuals is highest by those from households with the highest household income. Household income, for these purposes, is based oninformation from self reporting from a single member of the household. It is therefore not a measure of total household income. The information is not adjusted to take account of housing costs or the size of the household.

Of the adults from the 10 percent of households with the highest annual household income, 68 percent use the internet for personal use. Of these, 94% access the internet from home. In the second and third deciles less than 1 in 10 individual access the internet for personal use.

Internet use by individuals from home increases as annual household increases, although at a slower rate than access from anywhere. Sixty eight percent of individuals from households with the lowest 10 percent of household income access the internet from home, compared with 94 percent of those from the 10 percent of households with the highest annual household income.

Chart 29e: Access to the internet by adults, by household income, 2001

Source: Scottish Household Survey 2001

Internet use by the adult population is not affected by geographic location, with no statistical differences in internet use based on urban and rural location.

Background Data

Table 29f: Percentage household use of the Internet from home, by household type, 2001.

Source: Scottish Household Survey
Note: The questions regarding internet access have been revised in 2001. The estimates of household access to the internet in 2001 are not comparable to those for 1999-2000.

Table 29g: Percentage household access to the Internet from home by household type, 1999 and 2000.

Source: Scottish Household Survey

Table 29h: Percentage of homes owning personal computers and using the Internet at home by net household income, 2001

Source: Scottish Household Survey2001
Note : The income bands should only be used as an approximate guide to household income.
The information is based on self reporting from a single member of the household. The information is not adjusted to take account of housing costs or the size of the household.

The questions regarding internet access have been revised in 2001. The estimates of household access to the internet in 2001 are not comparable to those for 1999-2000.

Table 29i: Percentage of homes owning personal computers and with Internet access from home by net household income, 1999 and 2000

Source: Scottish Household Survey1999 and 2000
Note : The income bands should only be used as an approximate guide to household income.

Table 29j : Percentage of all homes with access to the Internet from home - quarterly pattern, 1999 and 2000

Source: Scottish Household Survey 1999 and 2000.

Table 29k : Percentage of all homes who use the Internet at home - quarterly pattern, 2001

Source : Scottish Household Survey2001
Note: The questions regarding internet access have been revised in 2001. The estimates of household access to the internet in 2001 are not comparable to those for 1999-2000

Footnotes

1 Further details can be found at http://www.experianintact.com/documents/intactv4docs/word/scotland mosaic.doc