Disadvantage and distance in the Netherlands

The Netherlands are often presented (and I also do it myself) as the land of milk and honey in the field of internet. Almost every household has a computer, more than 75 percent have an internet connection; more than 80 percent uses broadband with an average speed of 2Mbps. This gives the impression that everyone in the Netherlands has enough digital skills.

But this week the report Disadvantage and distance was published by SPC about the digital divide in the Netherlands. It paints a less optimistic picture by focusing on digital skills of the low-educated, the elderly, ethnic minorities and the economically inactive. Some highlights.

"Information and communication technology (ict) has become indispensable in Western societies, and more and more aspects of our lives have become interwoven with and dependent upon computers and the Internet. Participation in the knowledge society requires adequate digital skills. Increasingly, the possession of these skills is a condition for pursuing a successful education career, finding work and progressing in one’s career, and also for maintaining social contacts in our private lives. However, Dutch citizens differ in the extent to which they possess these digital skills. The data presented in this report show that the elderly, people with a lower education level, people who are economically inactive and members of ethnic minorities possess fewer of these skills. The research questions addressed in this report are concerned with how far certain groups in society lag behind in terms of digital skills, the causes of that disadvantage and its consequences. The report poses four central research questions.

1 To what extent do the digital skills of the elderly, the low-educated, the economically inactive and members of ethnic minorities differ from those of the rest of the population?
There are wide differences in digital skills between young and old, and between people with a high and a low education level. As an illustration, 43% of people with a lower education level use the Internet to search for specific information, compared with 81% of those with a higher education level. The difference between people younger and older than 55 years is of roughly the same order. The difference between the economically inactive and ethnic minorities compared with those in work and the indigenous population, respectively, is relatively smaller. Housewives/househusbands and Turks/Moroccans in particular lack digital skills. The degree of disadvantage in possession of digital skills is based both on more ‘objective’ usage characteristics and on people’s own, more subjective estimations of their skills.
People tend to overestimate their own disadvantage to some extent, as reflected in that fact the differences based on subjective indicators are slightly greater than those based on more objective indicators.

2 What difficulties do those with a skills disadvantage give for not using the Internet and what differences are found in this respect among the elderly, the economically inactive, the low educated and ethnic minorities?
Members of ethnic minorities cite financial difficulties as a problem rather than ‘lack of interest’ more often (roughly 25% versus 12%) than the indigenous Dutch. Older persons also frequently cite lack of interest (42%), but they themselves also often believe they are too old (36% of the over-75s). Lack of interest or unwillingness to use the Internet can mask a variety of other reasons, such as lack of time or an
erroneous image of what the Internet is, what it can do and what its potential benefits are. But reasons that people prefer not to voice can also be masked by the label ‘lack of interest’, such as fear of computers, fear of failure, fear of loss of face, fear of making mistakes and embarrassment about their lack of skills. For ethnic minorities (Turks and Moroccans, and especially women), their limited command of the Dutch language can also play a role.

3 Which factors contribute to the digital skills disadvantage of the elderly, the economically
inactive, the low-educated and ethnic minorities?
The study investigated the extent to which disposable income, ability to process information, social setting and time constraints influence people’s skills disadvantage. Disposable income was found to be a barrier to the acquisition of digital skills for the economically inactive in particular. A lack of facility in processing information proved to be a hindrance for both the low-educated and for Turks and Moroccans. Low literacy has been related to digital disadvantage in earlier research and is in itself already a serious barrier to participation in the knowledge society. Two factors were found not to be relevant for the acquisition of digital skills: social setting and time constraints.

4 What social and economic consequences does non-use of ict have for participation in society?
The consequences for people with a low education level and for the unemployed are partly economic, in that they affect their opportunities for active labour market participation or for moving ahead. Only a small proportion of the unemployed and disabled (24%) report that their computer knowledge is sufficient to enable them to get a job. People with a low education level find that their deficient computer skills are a problem in progressing in their work (25% do however feel that their knowledge is sufficient). Nonetheless, people in this group are less willing (than the more highly educated) to invest in acquiring digital skills. To what extent people need more skills in order to progress in their own work setting or sector was not studied.
For low-skilled jobs, the use of ict sometimes actually leads to a simplification of the work (think of the scanners used at supermarket checkouts). Such a downgrading of job content does not demand more skills, but rather the ability still to derive some job satisfaction from this reduced job content.

Task for the government
It is difficult to determine unambiguously whether someone possesses sufficient digital skills, because this involves a normative opinion about what a person should have in the way of digital skills in the present time and in a specific social situation. Such a checklist does not (yet) exist. A shortage of skills can manifest itself in at least two ways: if that shortage wholly or partly results in individual goals not being achieved, or if social demands are higher than individual ambitions. The importance of increasing the digital skills of Dutch citizens is rarely questioned. The question is not so much whether this should happen, but rather who should be responsible for it. That responsibility lies not only with the government, but also with the business community, with technology producers and with individual citizens".

A complete summary is available in the pdf of the report, pages 84-89.

Blog Posting Number: 899

Tags: digital divide

A treasure chest of unique resources

Cultural treasures have been of interest on internet. Now in The Netherlands a study has appeared on the treasure chest of unique resources, published by the Social and Cultural Planning Office of The Netherlands (SCP). The study looks at the digitisation of cultural resources and the use of it. Digitisation is not only meant as digital preservation, but it is also intended for use.

'The best we have to offer, is not on the Net'. Around the turn of the millennium, this lament would have been justified for anyone referring to all the material that was stored in museums, archives and libraries. The European Commission spoke of a 'treasure chest of unique resources' (EC 2002) and implied that cultural institutions held the key to that chest. Digitisation is vital to improving access to this vast quantity of material. Virtually all cultural institutions in the Netherlands - not just traditional guardians of cultural heritage and libraries, but also broadcasting associations and art institutions - now have their own websites and are working hard on digitisation and creating digital access to museum collections, old films and television programmes and a host of other material. Thanks to the placing of this digitised material on websites, CD-ROMs and other carriers of digital information, the scope for disseminating our shared cultural capital has increased greatly, enabling the contents of the cultural treasure chest to be made accessible to a wider public. There are any number of publications which say something about the status of the digitisation of culture, but to date there has been no systematic overview of what kind of digital material the various cultural sectors (cultural heritage, the arts, libraries and public broadcasting) offer.

This publication summarises a study of the digitisation of cultural sources and the use of that digitised material. The exploratory study ensues from the Culture and ICT (Cultuur en ICT) programme within the Culture and Media Directorate of the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCenW) and was carried out by Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) in collaboration with the Social and Cultural Planning Office of the Netherlands (SCP).

The study focussed on the digitisation of information in four cultural sectors: cultural heritage, the arts, libraries and public broadcasting. It brings together quantitative and qualitative data to provide an overview of available information on both the supply of and demand for digital material. In addition to this description and broad analysis of supply and demand, the study looks at the relationship between the various disciplines, the relationship with the field of education and the participation of Dutch institutions in international projects. This study also looks at what gaps in knowledge exist in the field of Culture and ICT and can serve as a reference point to clarify what research is still needed for further policy development.

In summary, the object of study can be formulated as follows:The object of the study is to provide an impression of the available information on both the supply of and demand for digital cultural information in the cultural heritage sector, the arts sector, the libraries sector and the broadcasting sector in the Netherlands.

In order to realise this object, six research questions were formulated in consultation with the Ministry, and these served as a guiding theme for the study.
- What does digitisation mean in the different sectors?
- What do key figures and bodies believe to be the main activities and developments in their sector and what problem areas and (knowledge) gaps do they perceive in the development of digital products and services?
- What collaborative alliances have been forged within and between the different sectors?
- How do the different sectors contribute to the development of digital cultural information for education?
- What is happening at European level as regards the digitisation of culture, and how does the Netherlands participate in this?
- The digital cultural products offered and what are the main gaps in the knowledge about the 'digital public'?

In order to elicit the necessary information a literature search was carried out, websites were visited and interviews were held with representatives of umbrella organisations and key institutions, as well as with specialists from several directorates at the Ministry. The interviews formed the main part of the study; a total of 69 experts were interviewed and additional information was obtained from 11 persons. Below we first summarise the findings on the supply and use of digital cultural information based on these research questions. Conclusions are then drawn concerning the digitisation of culture in the Netherlands.

A long summary of the report is available in English.

Blog Posting Number 759

Tags: culture, heritage

New links in the family

Several studies by Pew Internet and American Life Project have been published on teenagers and their parents. Now in The Netherlands a study has appeared on The digital world of teenagers and the role of their parents, published by the Social and Cultural Planning Office of The Netherlands (SCP). A long summary of the report is available in English.

The following fragment is the kick-off of the summary:
Nowadays computers, the Internet and mobile telephones are no more than a normal part of life for today’s teenagers. Because they have grown up with it, ict is an integral part of their daily lives. Young people derive a great deal of pleasure from the Internet, which they use for their social contacts, entertainment and for school.
But there are also some concerns about teenagers online. The Internet is full of risks, and the things that can go wrong on the Internet have been reported more than once in the media: distribution of fi lm clips which potentially violate privacy, contact with undesirable persons, Internet bullying. To obtain a clear picture of the digital world of teenagers, this report gives an account of the ict use of 13-18 year-olds in secondary education. Their parents were also included in the study: their own use of ict, and at the extent to which they are aware of the ict use of their children. In connection with this, the study looked at how far parents go in taking action in relation to Internet safety, such as educating their children about the risks and setting rules.

Study questions:
1 ict and ownership: To what extent has the ownership of ict facilities by families with teenagers changed between 2001 and 2005?
2 ict and usage: How do teenagers and their parents use ict, and how aware are parents of their children’s usage of the Internet?
3 ict and skills: How do the digital skills of teenagers and their parents differ?
4 ict and communication: How do teenagers use the Internet to organise their social lives, and what relationship does this bear to the maintaining of offl ine contacts and to feelings of loneliness?
5 ict and safety: What are the risks of Internet use for teenagers, to what extent do their parents inform them about those risks, what rules are set by parents and what control do parents exercise over their children’s use of the Internet (both according to the teenagers and according to their parents)?

Blog Posting Number: 757

Tags: lifestyle

Watch out: the seniors are coming

Seniors and elderly have long been considered groups not fit for internet. Seniors are the 50+ years group, which is fast increasing in The Netherlands and Germany. The elderly group over 65 years has long been written off as internet potential. But a press release made clear that the situation is changing fast and that large groups of seniors and elderly are no longer just sitting in front of the window watching the world go by. They have become active on internet and almost as active as teenagers, although they use it differntly.

Recently the Dutch Social and Cultural Planning Bureau (SCP) published a report on seniors in cooperation with Seniorweb. From a survey among the members and visitors of Seniorweb it appeared that seniors use internet as much as teenagers do. No less than 58 percent of the seniors indicate to be more than once online daily, while 61 percent of teenagers do so. This is a big difference with the scores of five years ago.

Seniors prefer e-mailing; 96 percent indicates that, while 82 percent of the teenagers say so. Just surfing is done by 76 percent of the teenagers and 60 percent by the seniors. Real differences are there in other applications. 95 percent of the teenagers spend time on msn, while only 25 percent of the Senioreb people use msn. For both target groups msn is dominantly used by women. But also a typical teenage habit is downloading music weekly or more often; only 25 percent of the seniors download music weekly or more often.

As far as I can see there is no remark in this report on games. I personally do believe that games for seniors should be the replacement for the puzzles and sudoku to keep their mind agile. But I should perhaps ask the people of Seniorweb about this.

The Dutch organisation Seniorweb has 75.000 members and offers anyone senior not familiar with a computer the experience of e-mail, internet, but also a text processing program. Besides the organisation has a special helpdesk for seniors for problems with their PC; if it can not be solved by e-mail or telephone, help will come from a volunteer. The organisation offers also software, games and printer cartridges at a reduced price, while the membership magazine contains once per year a CD-ROM full of tips, games and software. The organisation is a real e-inclusive organisation.

The report is not online yet, nor is there a translation. There is however a report of 2006 with an English summary.

Blog Posting Number: 743

Tags: seniors, elderly