One in four Brits feel digitally left out, writes ADRIAN ROBERTS – and it’s a surprising age group behind it…

The shift to digital in recent years has made life easier for many people, whether it’s making a quick online payment or making an appointment.

But one in four Brits feel they are digitally excluded in some way, according to research from UK cash access and ATM network Link.

asks Adrian Roberts, CEO of Link whether Britain is really ready to go fully digital with everything from car parks to banking…

Let’s start with a question. How many of the tasks you normally perform on a regular basis are now performed digitally?

Maybe not exclusively, but would you rather pay in cash or by card? Do you go to the supermarket or do you shop online?

These are just a few examples that show how much has changed in recent years.

Much of this change was positive and provided tremendous convenience. Renewing passports, signing legal documents or even navigating the car has all become much easier and faster.

Payments and banking are good examples. In 2008, more than six in ten transactions took place in cash. Today it is closer to one in ten.

There are real benefits to being able to pay online, via contactless cards and increasingly digital wallets, and much of this innovation has been driven by consumer demand.

Cash usage is an interesting case study. Our data consistently shows that people who rely on cash live in the most deprived parts of the country. But furthermore, they are more likely to be digitally excluded – whether due to affordability, connectivity or ability to use the technology.

This underlines an important challenge for the country. While there is still a lot of good work being done to protect access to cash through new innovations such as Cash Access UK’s shared banking centres, we now have to ask ourselves whether we are doing enough to help people use digital services.

And it’s not just about access to banking, it’s also about the ability to connect with people and participate in society and the economy. People like to pay and choose to pay in cash, but if given the right access and tools, many will feel confident using alternatives.

That’s why we recently published a new report called ‘Is Britain really ready to go digital?’ to understand the issues and to highlight the lessons we have learned from the work we have undertaken in Wales to help people become more digitally literate.

Some highlights from the study may come as a surprise. Not only does almost one in four (24 percent) British adults consider themselves digitally excluded, it is highest among 18-24 year olds (42 percent), followed by those aged 75 and over (30 percent). ).

This may seem counterintuitive, but a key driver is the lack of access to reliable broadband and internet devices that drives much of this exclusion. The group with the highest levels of digital exclusion were households with an income of less than £10,000 (44 per cent).

If more services become digital first or even digital only, can we be confident that a significant proportion of the population, often the most vulnerable, will be left behind or at least left with a more expensive or inferior service?

Parking apps cause great frustration for some, but what if people think it’s no longer worth the drive into town? Or will people no longer visit their doctor if GP practices can only make appointments online?

Some households are canceling their broadband subscription

In the Rhonda, in South Wales, we investigated over the course of a year whether small, local interventions can make a difference. Rhonda has one of the highest poverty levels in Wales.

While we are seeing higher levels of digital inclusion across Britain, in Rhonda there are indications that this is declining – especially as many households cancel their broadband contracts during the cost of living crisis.

The support, overseen by consumer council LINK, was delivered by trainers through one-to-one and group sessions, providing free SIM cards or loans of laptops and tablets where necessary to groups ranging from young adults to care home residents.

Some individual results have been hugely positive, with the biggest outcome being more people able and confident to complete important life activities online.

There are some clear lessons from the research and the pilot. First, we must recognize that digital exclusion will always exist to some extent. However, there are steps we can take to reduce this.

Better broadband to poorly connected areas is of course an integral part. But exclusive ‘digital by design’ strategies for essential products and services such as banking and healthcare must also stop where there is no alternative for those who cannot use them.

A more joined-up approach between communities and businesses could also have a real impact at local level to improve skills on the ground. This means not only recycling old technology for reuse, but also through community-led interventions on the ground.

The good news is that there is evidence that most of us want to support both. Digital and traditional. If we can get the balance right, it can result in higher levels of inclusion, socially and economically, and really help people and communities thrive.