Public Access Sites and Skill Development

Despite increasing penetration and intensity of Internet usage and growing attributed importance to household access, comfort using computers has increased only marginally in the period between 2001 and 2003. Comfort has actually declined for non-users, while remaining largely unchanged for Internet users — even though a majority of users have now been online for more than two years [Figure 12].

  • Percentage of Canadians indicating “high comfort” (5 to 6 on a 7-point scale) using computers increased by 5-percentage points between 2000 and 2001, but increased by only 2-percentage points from 2001 to 2003.
  • 45 per cent of non-users report low comfort using computers, up from 39 per cent in 2000.
  • 63 per cent of Internet users report a high level of comfort using computers, virtually unchanged from 2000.

Public access sites and community networks are in a position to narrow this skill gap, as well as provide more advanced community-based learning and skills development initiatives. Current non-users and late adopters are significantly less likely than those who began using the Internet even two years ago to be in a position to develop computer and Internet skills at work or school. This leaves many to rely on friends to provide instruction, develop skills as best they can on their own, or continue to remain offline. Within this context, public access site provided computer and Internet usage skills development might make the difference for those most at risk of marginalization.

More than a third of Internet non-users report they would be more likely to use the Internet if someone sat down with them and showed them how to use it. The impact of skills development is particularly evident for “near user” segments [Figure 13, Table 8].

  • 36 per cent of non-users agree they would be more likely to try the Internet if they had someone take the time to show them how to use it.
  • 51 per cent of Internet users disagree.
  • Agreement rises to 72 per cent and 45 per cent for “new near users” and “re-joining/accelerating users”.