Comment: Europe's digital divide

One in five adult Britons is unable to open a word processing document on a computer, and just under 20 per cent still cannot use e-mail, a survey suggests.

Searching the internet using engines like Google, meanwhile, is a problem for 16 per cent of people, and when it comes to using social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace, 28 per cent say they are at a loss.

The figures, detailed in an ICM poll, reveal the extent of the digital divide in Britain, where despite broadband penetration of about 65 per cent, one in five people does not yet own a computer, and 7 per cent of adults say that their lack of IT skills "greatly restricts" what they can do.

'Digital exclusion' - the experience of having such poor IT skills that job prospects and other aspects of one's life are affected - correlates broadly with general social deprivation, the report found. Areas in the North East are the least skilled with computers, while London has the highest IT proficiency.

Among the groups mostly likely not to have a computer or any access to IT training are those in inner city communities, the unemployed, older people - especially those who had previously relied on a spouse to do online transactions - and single mothers.

According to UK Online Centres, a Government-funded body which runs computer training programs, jobs which require computer skills have an 'IT wage premium' of between 3-10 per cent. Computer literacy is also estimated to save consumers as much as £300 per year - by allowing them to buy goods more cheaply online, and use price comparison websites.

The main barriers to people improving their computer skills, the study suggested, were time - cited by 48 per cent of respondents, 'not knowing where to start' (28 per cent), and fear of technology (23 per cent). More than 40 per cent of adults aged 18 and over were concerned that technology was outpacing their IT skills.

"Digital exclusion is very real - it's definitely a social issue that needs to be tackled," said Gordon Frazer, managing director of Microsoft UK, which has written a new 'digital literacy curriculum' that is to be rolled out in the 2,000 UK Online Centres across the country.

Participants in the free courses will be able to take five four-hour modules covering computer basics such as using the internet and e-mail, creating documents in Word and Excel, writing presentations, and transferring digital content such as photographs from mobile phones and other devices.

Helen Milner, managing director of UK Online Centres, said she wasn't surprised by the lack of computer skills. "Many people may struggle to name someone they know who can't use the internet, but go into one of our centres and it will be full of them. One in three adults don't have even the most basic computer skills."

In a speech in London today, David Lammy, the skills minister, said that technology had "seeped into our everyday lives - whether it's a PC in the office, satnav in the car, Blackberries, iPods, or digital cameras."

Mr Lammy said that the new curriculum would provide the Government with "an avenue into the lives of the hardest-to-reach learners."

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