BTW Barriers to Internet and BTW Barriers to Internet and Broadband ResearchBroadband ResearchAsian communityAsian community Prepared For

White Horse Yard

78 Liverpool Road

London N1 0QD

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BackgroundBackground

BT Wholesale conducted a collaborative project last year called ‘Drivers of Broadband’

To understand and anticipate drivers of future demand for broadband in the UK

BTW wished to follow this up with 2nd project

This time, research concentrated on barriers to adopting broadband

Two key target groups: SMEs and consumers

Debriefed by Sweeney Pinedo on 16th March

In addition, BTW wanted to look more closely at the ‘Asian community’

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Background : ‘Asian Community’Background : ‘Asian Community’

BTW broadband adoption data can be associated with postcodes

And thus linked to wider demographic data

Analysis of this data suggests that there is a slower adoption of broadband in areas occupied by the ‘Asian Community’

Small scale qualitative research proposed to explore this further

Note:

BTW does not have data on PC ownership or internet access within the ‘Asian Community’

A more detailed split of broadband adoption by country of origin is not available

i.e. BTW not able to separate Indian from Pakistani, Bangladeshi etc.

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MethodologyMethodology

Telephone depth interviews

40 – 60 minutes

Key requirement: person able to comment on behaviour and attitudes of ‘Asian community’ with regard to new technology

And specifically broadband

3 interviews carried out to date

Free found

Too small scale to provide conclusive findings

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SampleSample

All London residents

Religion

1 x Sikh

1 x half Sikh and half Hindu

1 x Muslim

Age

2 x 28 years

1 x 57 years

Gender

3 x male

Parents’ country of origin or interviewee’s country of birth

1 x India

1 x Zanzibar (“East African Gujarati”)

1 x Kenya

Teach / work / live amongst the following ethnic minorities:

Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Gujarati, Punjabi

Black (African / Caribbean), Jewish and Turkish

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SampleSample

Internet related experience:

1 x small business advisor with specific responsibility for IT (including training)

1 x IT teacher at college

1 x personal use at home (with wife and daughter)

All internet enthusiasts

And family / friends / colleagues tend to be keen users

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Commenting on the ‘Asian Community’Commenting on the ‘Asian Community’

Interviewees found it hard to comment on the ‘Asian Community’ per se

Spontaneously differentiated between more specific (regional) groups

e.g. Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Gujarati, Punjabi

Expected / stereotypical behaviour of each group likely to differ

Specific groups also have different history / presence within UK

In terms of location, level of integration, and level of affluence

Do not just sub-divide by country of origin or religion

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Involvement with Internet TechnologyInvolvement with Internet Technology

According to interviewees, key factors that determine / influence involvement with internet related technology amongst the ‘Asian community’

Disposable income of family

Lifestage

Younger people = learn about at school / work = more aware and interested

Older people (60+) = less familiar = “not very comfortable” with new technology

Familiar from previous BT research

NOT unique to Asian ethnic groups OR directly related to Asian ethnicity

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Triggers and UsageTriggers and Usage

Children often trigger PC purchase / adoption of internet by household

To aid education

Young people then introduce / teach their parents (older generation)

Main uses of the internet:

Finding / using information

School / college related

Other projects (e.g. to help wife’s childcare evening course)

Communication

Especially to relatives abroad

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BTW’s Asian Community HypothesisBTW’s Asian Community Hypothesis

“Surprised” to hear that BT stats suggest low adoption of broadband amongst the ‘Asian community’

At odds with their experience

“more and more people … install internet into their home”

Families / friends help each other by passing on 2nd hand PCs

Know of no reasons why the ‘Asian community’ should be less willing / interested

No lifestyle or religious factors at odds with internet usage

Muslim educational websites exist to aid religious teaching

“Culture doesn’t come into it at all”

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BTW’s Asian Community HypothesisBTW’s Asian Community Hypothesis

Think BT data may need more detailed analysis

Looking at specific regional groups and income in more detail

Think Asians may not have broadband for same reasons as other groups

Specifically, do not use internet enough to need / justify

Howeverdo report reasons why (some) Asians may be more or less keen internet

users than other groups of people

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Positive Asian Related FactorsPositive Asian Related Factors

Strong commitment to education / getting on in the world

Asian parents often (very) actively involved in encouraging children’s academic achievement

PC and internet seen as positive aids

PC and internet are affordable to many

There are “a lot of rich Asians” in the UK

Sikh, Gujarati and Pakistani groups felt to be doing well for themselves

Internet makes communication easy with family abroad

Especially where phone contract tricky (e.g. Africa)

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Negative Asian Related FactorsNegative Asian Related Factors

Poorer Asian groups cannot afford

e.g. Bangladeshi families on Kings Cross council estates; parents who do not speak much English; children not very aspirational

Access offered by the internet can worry older, “not very educated” Asian parents

“Children born here are independent minded”, unlike their parents

Interviewee reported story of (Muslim) family who “lost their children”

Specifically: 15 - 16 year old boy ran away to meet girl he met on the net

Some parents “really scared” of internet as a result

But thought to be a minority concern

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Promoting The Internet To The ‘Asian Promoting The Internet To The ‘Asian Community’Community’

Specialist Asian media seen as good idea if ISP wants to target the ‘Asian community’

For example:

Zee TV

B4U TV mix of Hindi & English language TV ads

Sony (satellite TV channel)

Club Asia radio (972 MW)

Sunrise radio

Also - positive mention by one interviewee of BBC World Service