For our latest short read on digital inclusion – or exclusion – our Behavioural Scientist, Emily King explains why understanding people’s barriers to accessing online services is vital to delivering inclusive public engagement, whether that is around council services or what happens in their neighbourhood. Highlighting our work with the Royal Borough of Greenwich, she explains the need for councils to get specific: to understand the area-wide picture, but also behaviours at an individual and community level.

To ensure that design is inclusive and human-centred, local government and other public sector organisations need to closely involve the public in shaping services and innovations. At DG Cities, we work on projects doing just that – engaging the public with new innovations, services, and initiatives in their local area, to ensure these are always designed with their needs in mind.

However, in a world that is increasingly moving online, from ordering a prescription to commenting on a planning application, it is important to consider the methods used to engage the public, to ensure that those who do not regularly use the internet are not excluded from having their voices heard.

Who won’t see your online survey?

According to Lloyds’ 2023 Digital Consumer Index, 2.1 million people in the UK are offline, and c.4.7 million people cannot connect to WiFi. These individuals are unlikely to answer an online survey or attend a virtual interview, both increasingly common methods for conducting public-facing research since the Covid-19 pandemic and the popularisation of online collaboration tools. Inclusive research design involves applying varied methodologies that can capture the views of people that don’t have the skills or resources to access the internet.

It is also difficult to identify digitally excluded individuals in the first place, for organisations to be aware that they may need to receive information in a non-digital format, or to recruit them to take part in research. Recent work by LOTI has sought to map the extent of digital exclusion across London, which provides useful information about key areas of exclusion and types of digitally excluded groups. However, more work is necessary to understand digital exclusion on a more granular level; to uncover which individuals or areas in local communities may require further support and options for engagement, and what these options might look like for different individuals. 

Tackling digital exclusion with local government

DG Cities is currently working with the Royal Borough of Greenwich to map digital exclusion on two Greenwich estates, to better understand which residents are digitally excluded and why.

There are many different aspects to tackling digital exclusion, from connectivity, access and education to behaviours and respecting personal preferences. Despite being an increasingly connected society, only 27% of UK households can access modern, gigabit-capable broadband. As the rollout of new connectivity technology is fragmented and delivered by multiple providers, there is a risk that some get left behind and can’t take advantage of new opportunities. Early last year saw the launch of Digital Greenwich Connect, a joint venture enabled by DG Cities between the Royal Borough of Greenwich and tech provider, ITS to bring ultrafast broadband to housing estates in the borough. Our research into the behaviours and factors influencing people’s ability to access online services is key to tackling the issue holistically and helping communities make the most of this infrastructure investment.

This work will help Greenwich to understand where there might be gaps in their ability to communicate with residents via online channels. As well as ensuring these residents are receiving adequate support in their daily lives more broadly, the work will help to ensure that digitally excluded residents are not left out of opportunities for engagement and consultation.

We know that great initiatives are underway in this area, and we think it is hugely important that more local authorities and organisations work to involve the voices of digitally excluded residents. As a multidisciplinary team, we’re able to look at the technical aspects of the issue - the availability of infrastructure and role of data in identifying groups - as well as behavioural science and engagement. If you would like to talk to us about how we might support you in addressing the issue of digital exclusion in your area, get in touch.