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Equity of Access
The Information Economy presents many new opportunities, and access to online resources confers advantages valued by users. It is in view of this value that online access can then be regarded as an equity issue (of which the digital divide is a key facet). The digital divide is a term used to describe discrepancies in Internet use by certain social, economic and demographic groups as compared to other groups. Traditionally, two of the most scrutinised aspects of the digital divide have been Internet access by gender (female and male population), and by age (eg. younger age groups vs older age groups). Indicators 11 and 12 benchmark level of Internet access by gender and age group.
11. % of persons 16 years and over with Internet access by gender
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For the majority of countries involved in this benchmarking exercise, there seems to be broad level equity of Internet access between males and females aged 16 years and over. For 7 out of the 12 countries, the difference in access between genders was within a five-percentage point range. For the US, Germany and the UK the difference in access levels between males and females was 6, 7 and 8-percentage point. Japan and France recorded the highest divergence between males and females (12-13 percentage points). While Sweden had the highest percentages of Internet access by males and females, the country with the lowest difference (hence the lowest divide) in access between males and females was Hong Kong (1% difference = 99 points). Canada scored 98 points, the Netherlands and Spain 96, and Australia, Italy and Sweden 95, and the US 94. Japan was the lowest ranked country in terms of both rates of Internet access and difference in access between genders, with 25% of Japanese women estimated to have Internet access compared to 38% for Japanese men.
The divergence between males and females across countries was more striking. Taking Sweden, the nation with the highest levels of Internet access for both males and females (83% and 88% respectively), access levels amongst Swedish men were more than twice the access levels for Japanese men, while access levels for Swedish women, were more than three times that of Japanese women.
September 2001 to September 2002: Australia lost its lead (99 points in 2001) to Hong Kong, and for this indicator has also been surpassed by Canada, the Netherlands and Spain. Japan, which recorded the largest gap in Internet access by genders, was not benchmarked for 2001.
12. % of persons 16 years and over with Internet access by age group
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Age is a strong determinant on Internet access outcomes across the countries examined and it is highly likely to be critical in shaping Internet access in other countries. The difference in participation between age groups across countries was much greater than the difference recorded in participation between genders (Indicator 11).
In all countries benchmarked, persons aged 16-34 years (the younger age group) recorded levels of Internet access which were considerably higher than those persons aged 35 years and over (the older age group). The divergence in Internet access levels between these two age groups ranged from a low of 13 percentage points for Canada to a high of 33 percentage points for France. Comparable data for the US and Japan was not available for this indicator.
It is interesting to note that countries with the lowest divide are also the countries with the highest percentage of overall Internet access. This suggests that in the initial stages of Internet penetration, persons in the younger age group are more willing to experience the new technology and carry this experience and interest in the Internet through consecutive life stages.
Canada was the country with the lowest difference (13%) in access between age groups, and thus received a score of 87, followed by Sweden (83) and Australia (81). Again the difference in Internet access levels between similar age groups across countries was more striking. Sweden was the leading nation in terms of Internet access for both age groups (97% for 16-34 year olds and 80% for persons aged 35 years and over). Spain recorded the lowest access levels for each age group (67% for 16-34 year olds and 35% for persons 35 years and over).
Younger Swedes had access levels 30 percentage points higher than their counter-parts in Spain, while older Swedes had access levels more than twice that recorded for their counter parts in Spain.
September 2001 to September 2002: Sweden is ranked as the country with the lowest difference in Internet access between its male and female population after Canada. Australia follows with the third lowest difference and is awarded 81 points (down from 88 for 2001). No particular country stands out in terms of significantly different performances in the two benchmarking periods for 2001 and 2002.