Research links digital inclusion and social impact
03 Nov 2008
by: Sarah Underwood
Learning about computers and the internet can help improve the lives of disadvantaged groups, according to a research report from UK Online Centres and Ipsos Mori.
The probable link between digital and social inclusion has long been recognised as connecting people to technology connects them to new information and skills, to communities, each other, services, savings and employment opportunities. The UK Online Centres and Ipsos Mori report, ‘Digital inclusion, social impact’, goes one step further in an effort to prove the link both qualitatively and quantitatively.
Based on 20 UK Online Centre-led projects involving hundreds of local partners, the research tracked the impact of informal learning about technology on the lives of different groups, including those with mental health issues, families in poverty, isolated older people and teenage parents.
More than 12,000 people took part in the social impact demonstrator projects between January 2007 and March 2008. By the end of the project, participants were more likely to feel confident and 40% had progressed into further training, employment, advice and guidance. The study found that working with computers helped to improve people’s maths and English. It also suggests that people with a greater digital understanding are more likely to spend time with friends and family, and more likely to connect with, and help out in, their communities.
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