Exclusive data analysis by web design and development agency Rouge Media, reveals 15.8 percent of adults in Liverpool lived offline at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic – up from 8.6 percent in 2018.
Over recent years, there’s been a growing focus on so-called “internet non-users” as part of the debate about the UK’s digital divide and its impact on inclusion. And the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the digital divide like never before, as communication and many vital services moved online.
According to the latest ONS data analysed by Rouge Media, Liverpool’s digital divide was the sixth largest in the UK in 2020, with 62,000 residents either lapsed (haven’t used the internet in the past three months) or internet non-users who have never gone online. This is up from 33,000 in 2018.
This means many local residents were left unable to access important online services or benefit from communication apps during the first national lockdown last year.
Given that the percentage of residents over the age of 65 in Liverpool (14.8 percent of the population) is lower than the national average (19 percent in 2019), the data points to other social or economic factors at play, with widening inequalities caused by the pandemic perhaps playing a role.
In the North West of England as a whole, it’s estimated over 516,000 people were either lapsed or internet non-users in 2020, down from 575,000 in 2019. This a regional average of 8.9 percent of the population.
According to a recent report, the North of England’s economy has been hit harder than the rest of the country during the COVID-19 pandemic, with inequalities between the North and the rest of the country exacerbated.
Now that the emergency phase of the pandemic is behind us and the progress of the vaccination programme is continuing at speed, the City Council has unveiled a roadmap to drive Liverpool’s economic recovery, focusing on boosting public services to support deprived neighbourhoods.
The digital divide is highest in Luton. The percentage of Luton residents living offline stood at a staggering 22.2 percent (36,000 residents) at the start of the pandemic.
As the portion of the population who were born before the internet becomes smaller and the first generation of “digital natives” reach adulthood, the digital divide is expected to close further and at an accelerated rate across the whole of the UK
However, enduring social and economic issues will remain, preventing people from using or benefiting from the internet fully. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased inequalities between rich and poor households, squeezing budgets further.
According to the Resolution Foundation thinktank, British families took a bigger hit to their income during the pandemic than their European counterparts due to the structure of the UK economy and rising income inequality. This could impact the number of households who are able to afford internet access and IT equipment, with other vital goods and services being prioritised.
You can read more about the study and explore the findings on an interactive map here.
Andy Woods, Director of Rouge Media commented on the findings:
“It’s been really interesting to study the UK’s digital divide and the progress being made in reducing the number of residents living offline, especially at a time when internet access has never been so important.
“It’s clear that while positive progress has been made, an enduring digital divide remains nationwide which appears to be impacting older residents and poorer households unequally.”
