To mark London Challenge Poverty Week 2021, Age UK London is highlighting the number of older people in the capital who cannot afford to use the internet.
Recently published research showed that the cost of devices and data is a barrier for many older people to accessing the internet. Amongst Londoners over 65 who want to use the internet more, one in five said the reason they did not was a lack of access to broadband or suitable equipment. Over 200,000 older Londoners over 75 do not use the internet at all.
Sebastian, an older Londoner, told us:
“I have been using the internet thanks to Age UK Barnet which have supplied me with a laptop. I live alone and have no family in this country so I have been using Facebook to keep in touch. However, I won’t be able to afford the internet once the Wi-Fi dongle that Age UK Barnet supplied runs out.”
London has the highest level of pensioner poverty in the country, so cost is a greater factor than elsewhere in the country.
Age UK London are campaigning for urgent action to address the profound challenges of digital exclusion affecting the daily lives of thousands of older Londoners. More and more services that older people rely on are moving online, risking isolating those without internet access.
Abigail Wood, CEO of Age UK London, said:
“Lockdown prompted some older Londoners to go online for the first time or increase the scope of their digital skills. However, many older Londoners do not use the internet at all and the cost of equipment and broadband is a significant barrier.
The gap between those with and without access to the internet is widening and the capital is at risk of witnessing a growing digitally excluded underclass.”
