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Evaluation of the Public Internet Access Point Initiative
3 How are they being used?
This section looks at how PIAPs are working on the ground. It examines the types of users, how they use the internet at PIAPs compared to elsewhere, the kind of support that users need and their general levels of satisfaction with the PIAP.
3.1 User profile
3.1.1 Types of people using the PIAPs
As discussed in Chapter 2, the PIAP initiative was intended to extend public internet access to anyone who needed it, although it was hoped to be particularly useful to disadvantaged groups.
Overall there were more male users than female users, which mirrors the wider situation with internet access, 52% of the users were males. But in remote rural areas the situation was reversed and 53.2% of users were women. Males out-number female users across the different host sectors, but most markedly in the public sector PIAPs (55.8%). There is also a high proportion of male users within socially excluded areas (57.4%) which may be due to PIAPs targeting unemployed people in these areas who are more likely to be men.
Figure 3-1 Gender balance by social disadvantage of area
Source: Hall Aitken, User Survey and PIAP users in Area Survey, winter 2003-4. n=665
Although the PIAPs are attracting a broad spread of ages, they appear to be more effective at targeting younger people. A third of the users surveyed were aged under 25 and around one in ten were aged under 16.
However it is difficult to compare the proportion of under 16 users with the wider population, because the youngest age groups will not be using the internet. So Figure 3-2 compares the user profile against the proportion of the 16 plus population as a whole. It shows that PIAPs appear to be more successful at attracting younger age groups, with twice the proportion of 16 to 24 year olds using PIAPs compared to the population as a whole. There is also a higher proportion of 25 to 44 year old users.
However, the proportion of users aged 65 and over is much lower than in the wider population as a whole, representing only 5% of 16+ users. This suggests that PIAPs are not an effective way of targeting older users. This is perhaps not surprising, given that there is only limited support available, and that older age groups are far less likely to be confident about using the internet.
Figure 3-2 Age of PIAP users surveyed
Source: Hall Aitken User Survey, 2003-2004. n=670, Census 2001, GRO(S)
There were some variations in the profile across different types of venue:
- 16-24's are better represented at public sector venues (33% of users) than community sector PIAPs (20% of users).
- Over 55's make up a lower share of users in socially excluded areas than elsewhere (11% against 19%).
- A higher proportion of over 55s use PIAPs in the community/voluntary sector venues (20% against 10% in the other sectors).
- There is very little variation by age between urban and rural PIAPs.
Our user survey found that PIAP users are most likely to be regular internet users. The vast majority use the internet at least once a week (83%). And only 4% were using it for the first time. This may explain why the age profile of users is skewed towards younger age groups.
3.1.2 Types of users targeted
From the hosts' perspective, there are broadly three types of target user:
- Client groups: a particular group of people who regularly use the venue, or are likely to be there because they belong to a specific group;
- The wider public: a genuine drop-in service for the public at large, where any use of the services is incidental to using the internet; and
- Staff: people working in the venue who have no other internet access.
We asked hosts which groups that they specifically targeted and which groups mostly used the service. Nearly half of all venues were targeting the general public, but only one in ten stated that this was the main group using the service.
Our surveys found that the vast majority of PIAP venues attract users from the general public to some extent (86%). However this also means that there are about one in seven venues that do not have users from the wider public but concentrate on their own client group.
And more than a quarter identified their own client group as their main source of users. This tends to suggest an element of success in bringing computers to where people are.
Some 59% of PIAP users responding to the survey were either customers, regular visitors or were on the premises anyway. The vast majority of users had used the PIAP venue before the internet access was there (81%). A fifth of users surveyed had heard through word of mouth (19%). But only 7% of users said they had used the access after seeing stickers in the window.
Staff were more likely to use the computers in the PIAPs based in businesses and community venues, though there was very little variation between urban and rural PIAPs. Staff in PIAPs outside socially excluded areas were slightly more likely to be using the computers.
3.2 Support Needs
3.2.1 Confidence
Three quarters of users were either comfortable or confident using the PIAP (75%). But 14% were wary about using it at first, and 8% needed some support or persuasion. As Figure 3-3 shows, confidence in first using the PIAP varied strongly with age. Very few under 16s felt nervous about using the PIAP whilst a third of those aged 65 and over said they were nervous or found it daunting. However there was very little difference in terms of gender.
Figure 3-3 Feelings about first using the PIAP by age group
Source: User survey n=670
Around a quarter of users in public sector PIAPs found it daunting or were wary about using the internet access (24%), compared to only 12% in business sector PIAPs. This may be because public sector access points were often targeting more disadvantaged groups. Around one in five users in socially excluded areas (19%) were wary about using the service at first, compared to 13% in other areas.
Almost half of those who were confident had a computer at home compared to only a fifth of those who were not confident. Confidence when first coming to the access point may relate then to the fact that they own a computer at home and are familiar with it.
Our follow-up survey found that a higher proportion of those who were not confident initially were using the internet for things they wouldn't or couldn't before (49% compared to 40%). And higher proportion of those who were not confident when starting to use the PIAP were using the internet at the PIAP at least once a week at the time of the follow-up survey.
3.2.2 Support needs
Some 37% of users needed some level of help and users in disadvantaged areas were more likely to need help (46%). The biggest need for help was in logging onto the internet (17%) and finding what they were looking for on the internet (15%).
The need for support also had a strong correlation with age. Over half of the 55 to 64 age group needed some level of help (53%) and three quarters of those aged 65 and over needed support (76%). But only around a quarter of users aged under 25 needed support.
Users in remote rural areas were less likely to need support with more than three quarters stating that they did not need any help (77%). But in urban areas, half of the PIAP users needed some level of help (51%) with 15% needing a lot of help.
Overall, 89% of those who needed assistance got it from host venue staff. This was highest in the public sector, where 96% got help from venue staff. Some 16% of users needing help got assistance from other users, and this was particularly evident among users aged 45 and over and users in the community and voluntary sector. One in five users in socially excluded areas who needed help got it from other users (20%).
We came across peer support, where users help each other out, in a number of our visits to PIAPs. From the host survey it appears that this is quite a common phenomenon, with around one in five hosts reporting this happens a lot, and more than half reporting it happens occasionally.
Only 2% of users needing help said that they did not get help.
3.3 PIAP use
3.3.1 Reasons for using the PIAP
Nearly half of the users chose to use the public access because they have no access at home (47%) and 11% did so because they have no other public access. Non-working users were more likely to cite lack of home access as a reason for using the PIAP; 70% of unemployed users and 55% of the long term sick were using PIAPs for this reason. And this was more likely to be a reason for users in urban areas (52%) and socially disadvantaged areas (51%) where there tend to be lower rates of home access.
Users in remote rural areas were most likely to be using the PIAP because there was no other public access (17%). This suggests that the Scottish Executive strategy of providing coverage in areas with no existing access is succeeding in widening access in these areas. Users in PIAPs within businesses are also more likely than those in other sectors to cite lack of alternative public access (13%).
Half used it because it was cheap or free (49%), and a similar proportion because it was convenient (48%). Men were slightly more likely to cite the low cost as a reason for using the PIAP (51%). Some 70% of long term sick or disabled users said they used it because it was convenient or nearby. A higher proportion of people in remote rural areas also cited the convenient location as a reason for using it (53%).
Business sector locations were more likely to be viewed as convenient by users. Over half of the users in business sector PIAPs cited convenience as a reason for using them, which backs up the findings from the mystery shopper visits.
Women were more likely to state that they were using the PIAP because they were there anyway (30% against 26%). This suggests that putting PIAPs in places where people go regularly (such as hairdressers) may be helping to target women. More than a third of users in the business sector indicated that they were using it because they 'were here anyway'.
3.3.2 What internet is used for
Around two thirds had used PIAPs for email, which was the biggest use (65%). Older age groups made more use of email, with 73% of the 45 to 54 year old age group using it. And as Figure 3-4 shows, people in PIAPs in remote rural areas were also more likely to be using email, with 72% doing so, compared to only 61% in urban areas.
Half of the users surveyed had used the internet for finding information on goods/services (51%). This was higher among employed users (58%) and lower among the unemployed (44%) and students (32%). As Figure 3-4 shows, people in more rural areas are also more likely to use the internet access for this purpose, and 54% in remote rural areas did so compared to 48% in urban areas and towns. This perhaps suggests PIAPs provide a way of accessing a greater range of goods and services for rural users. But people in socially disadvantaged areas are less likely to be using the PIAPs to find out about goods and services (47% against 56%).
Figure 3-4 Type of internet use by rurality
Some 24% of users overall had used the internet to buy goods or services and this seems linked strongly to age. The most likely age group to be using the PIAP for this purpose was 55 to 64 year olds, where 39% had done so. This compares to 20% of 16 to 24 year olds and just 12% of the 65 plus age group. Perhaps surprisingly, women were more likely than men to buy online (26% compared to 21%). Economically active groups were also more likely to buy online, with almost a third of full time employed users doing so (32%), compared to just 16% of unemployed users. People using PIAPs within businesses were also more likely to buy goods or services online (28%) than those in the public or community sectors.
Some 13% of users had used the PIAP for banking or insurance, and again this was highest among 55 to 64 year olds (21%). Women were more likely to use the access point for this purpose than men (15% compared to 11%). As with buying online, employed people and those living in rural areas were more likely to bank online. PIAP users in businesses were also more likely to use the service for banking (17%).
Overall 40% used PIAPs for research associated with study or education. But more than half of unemployed (53%) and long-term sick (55%) users had used the PIAP for study. This may be due to programmed use within PIAPs which specifically target disadvantaged groups. This may be backed up by the high proportion of users in public sector PIAPs using the internet for study (59%) and the higher proportion using PIAPs in socially excluded areas for learning (48%).
Figure 3-5 Type of internet use by level of social disadvantage
Some 17% of users surveyed had accessed Government or local authority websites. Older age groups (25+) were much more likely to use the PIAPs for these services.
More than a quarter of users (26.9%) had used the internet to look for jobs, with men more likely to do so than women (31% against 23%). Perhaps not surprisingly, unemployed users were most likely to look for jobs online, with 70% doing so at the PIAPs. People in towns (32%) and in public sector managed PIAPs (42%) were also more likely to be using the internet for job search. And people using PIAPs in socially disadvantaged areas are more than twice as likely to be using the internet to look for work (36% compared to 16%). Again this may be linked to PIAPs targeting certain groups such as unemployed people.
Overall 41% of users used the PIAPs for getting information for leisure or interests, and men were more likely to use the internet access for this purpose (44% against 37%).
Use of chatrooms was strongly linked to age, with 43% of under 16s using the PIAPs for this purpose. This compares to only 9% of the 25 to 44 age groups.
If we compare what people in PIAPs use the internet for with what people with home access use it for, we can see there are some interesting differences. Home users generally use the internet for a greater range of things, reflecting greater levels of use in every category other than job search. But home users are far more likely to engage in e-commerce (50% against 24%) and e-banking (31% against 13%) than users in PIAPs. This clearly relates to the greater privacy and security associated with home access. The areas where PIAP usage most closely mirrors home usage are in job search, accessing government and council websites and finding information about goods and services.
Figure 3-6 Internet use at home and at PIAP
Results from our follow up survey show that more people are now using the internet access at the PIAP for the following activities compared to the initial survey:
- Finding information for leisure/interest (59% compared to 44%);
- Research for studies/education (47% compared to 43%); and
- Buying or ordering tickets, goods or services (30% compared to 26%).
3.3.3 Frequency of use
Figure 3-7 shows that most PIAP users are regular Internet users. Two thirds use the Internet several times a week or more and only 7% use the Internet less than once a month.
Figure 3-7 Frequency of Internet Use
If we look at the internet use of those who responded to both the initial and follow-up user surveys, Figure 3-9 shows a general increase in the proportion of users accessing the internet several times a week or more (from 66% to 75%).
Figure 3-9 Frequency of internet use for matched follow up respondents
Source: HA Follow up survey, n=208
Our follow up survey of users also indicates that more than two-thirds (67%) of respondents to the follow up survey are accessing the internet at the PIAP at least once a week, as Figure 3-10 shows. Only a small proportion (6%) have not returned to the PIAP since their initial visit and this closely corresponds to the proportion who gained home access since first visiting the PIAP. However there is likely to be some under-reporting from those using the PIAP casually.
Figure 3-10 How regularly do you access the internet from the PIAP?
Source: HA Follow up survey, n=208
3.4 Users' views on the service
In general the feedback from users has been positive with 97% agreeing that internet access at PIAPs encouraged people to use the internet and 86% agreeing that the PIAP benefits the local community.
Most users in the follow-up survey thought the quality of the service was either better or unchanged since they started using the internet at the PIAP. In terms of suggestions as to how the PIAP access can be improved, the main ones were:
- Install broadband (15% of those responding);
- Advertising leaflets (14%); and
- None/nothing (10%).
3.4.1 Advantages
Figure 3-12 shows the main advantages identified by users of using the Public Internet Access Point. The most frequently identified advantage was the fact that it was cheap or free, which more than half of the users mentioned. And 40% thought that the nice atmosphere was an advantage. Being able to use the internet for as long as they liked was mentioned by a third of users as an advantage (34%).
And 30% said the fact that they got support to use the internet was an advantage over other provision. For 18% the PIAP was the only place they can get internet access.
Figure 3-12 Advantages of using the PIAP
Source: user survey n=670
Figure 3-13 shows that more respondents in the follow-up survey cited the fact that the service is free or cheap as an advantage (78% compared to 57%). This suggests that the low cost is a factor in continuing or repeated use.
3.4.2 Disadvantages
Most (61%) said there were no specific disadvantages of using the PIAP. But 21% said the slow connection speed was a disadvantage and under 16s (28%) and men (24%) were more likely to highlight this. Slow connection was also more likely to be highlighted by users in rural (23%) and remote rural (28%) PIAPs.
Lack of privacy (7%) and time limits (6%) were the other most significant disadvantages. And one in ten under 16s highlighted lack of privacy and time limits as disadvantages.
The main disadvantage among the follow-up survey respondents was still the slow connection speed stated by 22% of respondents, followed by time limits (11%). Although overall 57% stated there were no specific disadvantages.
Figure 3-13 What advantages have you found from accessing the internet here rather than somewhere else?
Source: HA Follow up survey, n=208
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