Only three in five Scots have internet at home

Only 61 per cent of people in Scotland are online – the lowest of all four UK nations and well below the UK average of 74 per cent, according to a new report by Consumer Focus Scotland.

In Glasgow, only 50 per cent of householders have broadband and almost half of households earning less than £11,500 a year do not have the internet, compared with only 4 per cent who earn more than £30,000 a year.

The consumer group is calling on broadband providers to offer vulnerable consumers cheaper “social” tariffs and for a new range of “pay-as-you-go” products to help connect those who cannot afford digital packages.

“Sadly, people in Scotland lag behind other parts of the UK in connection to digital services and many vulnerable people miss out on the best deals online or find it difficult to access the increasing range of public services that are being delivered via the web,” said Annie McGovern, digital policy expert at Consumer Focus Scotland.

“The reasons for this include a lack of IT ‘know-how’ and availability of good broadband speeds, but cost can still be a huge hurdle for many people.”

The report, called Scotland’s digital needs – paving the way for wider access to digital communications, claimed that access to the internet helps people to engage with the wider world, improve children’s education, enable access to cultural and social activities, such as Facebook, and support democratic participation.