Lloyds' Digital Index & digital participation in Scotland

Lloyds Banking Group, encompassing Bank of Scotland, has launched the third iteration of its UK Consumer Digital Index.  It is based on the data of 1 million of its customers and this includes 9,000 1-2-1 interviews.  The news is mixed.  Overall, as other analyses highlight, the number of people not online is fairly static.   In Scotland these are the headline statistics:

• The proportion of people with the full five Basic Digital Skills sits at 80% (UK average 79%)
• The proportion of people who feel their digital skills have improved in the past year is 54% (UK average 60%)
• The proportion of people who have none of the Basic Digital Skills is 7% (UK average of 8%)

Other facts and figures include:

• The proportion of benefit claimants with low or no digital capability is 20% (UK average 18%)
• The proportion of those aged 60+ who are online is 64% (UK average 72%)

The report identifies that there are a number of benefits for people who are online:

• 4 in 10 say it helps them feel less alone
• 7 in 10 say it helps them save time
• 5 in 10 say in has helped them to find a job
• 47% of the UK population use the internet in the workplace

Still much work for us to do to support people to use the internet. Our research highlights that the formula for engaging people successfully is: 

• Recognising that motivation to learn something new is unique to each individual
• Hooking people in through a personal interest
• Facilitating the invaluable peer support of a trusted individual
• Embedding all of this in support already being delivered with a fairly immediate practical application

There are a number of ways in which you could help people in Scotland get online:

• Sign Scotland’s Digital Participation Charter
• Receive funding through the Charter Fund 
• Understand the Digital Skills of your own workforce and implement a Digital Champions model