Relevance trumps affordability in reasons to forgo Internet: Ipsos

Newly released survey results show that almost 10 per cent of Canadians still do not have Internet access at home, and more people cite its relevance to their personal lives than affordability as a reason why. Data released by Ipsos Public Affairs on Friday showed that 91 per cent of respondents to a survey reported getting the Internet at home. Among the nine per cent without home Internet, two per cent said they had it on a mobile subscription only, another two per cent used it outside of their homes and five per cent did not use it at all. Among those who did not have Internet access at home, 49 per cent mentioned issues related to relevance as a reason why. This included a lack of interest and need, as well as not having enough time for it. There were 30 per cent who mentioned cost as a factor, with some saying Internet subscriptions are too pricey and others referencing the cost or quality of computers and other related equipment. "The digital divide is often seen as being driven primarily by income inequality but, in fact, lack of affordability is only a barrier for a fraction of Canadians," Ipsos said in the report. "Instead, a more salient issue is that of relevance, i.e. those who see the value of the Internet in their lives are willing to pay for it, and those who don't are not." In terms of demographics, those who do not have Internet service at home were more likely to be older, less educated, have lower incomes and live in rural areas than those with home Internet. Among some of the other reasons for not having home Internet, 22 per cent noted a personal inability to use the technology, and eight per cent said they had no access or poor-quality service where they live. These findings come ahead of a hearing the CRTC has scheduled for April to determine whether broadband Internet should be considered a basic telecommunications service, which would result in minimum standards and subsidies to ensure certain levels of services are met across the country. John Lawford, executive director of the Pubic Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC), said in a phone interview that the survey likely underestimated the proportion of people for whom affordability is a barrier to Internet access. He said some people likely did not disclose that money is an issue "because, frankly, they are embarrassed and they'd rather choose another answer than, 'No, I just can't afford it.' " David Christopher, spokesman for Internet advocacy group OpenMedia, said the survey results still show that income is a factor in Internet access, particularly the statistic that showed 30 per cent of those with household incomes of less than $25,000 a year do not have Internet at home. "It's saying that one-third of those with household income under $25K don't have home Internet access, and that number is three times the next 20 per cent up," Christopher said in a phone interview. The survey showed that the proportion without home Internet was 11 per cent of those in households with income between $25,000 and $50,000, eight per cent for those with $50,000 to $75,000, three per cent for those with $75,000 to $100,000 and two per cent for those with $100,000 or more. Christopher added that the survey reinforces the fact that people living outside of major cities have problems accessing the Internet. The report showed that 16 per cent of people in rural areas or small towns did not have home Internet, compared to 11 per cent of those in small cities and five per cent in big cities. Ipsos said the data was based on phone interviews conducted with an overall sample of 1,250 Canadians, 18 years of age or older, in October. There was a partially overlapping sample of 250 subjects who did not have home Internet for questions related to this subgroup's characteristics. The overall sample had a margin of error of 2.8 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, Ipsos said, while questions pertaining only to non-Internet subscribers had a margin of 6.2 points. Mike Colledge, president of Ipsos' Canadian public affairs division, said in a phone interview that the survey was done on behalf of a number of clients, including organizations in the telecommunications, health-care and government sectors. — With reporting by Derek Abma at dabma@thewirereport.ca and editing by Shruti Shekar at sshekar@thewirereport.ca

Relevance trumps affordability in reasons to forgo Internet: Ipsos

News | December 11, 2015

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Relevance trumps affordability in reasons to forgo Internet: Ipsos

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