Scotland is a strong part of the UK, which makes it one of the most powerful and economically successful countries in the western world. Therefore, it should come as no shock that this nation has continuously made use of and embraced the internet. This tool is now the most effective in modern business and global communications, but Scotland has been in this game for over thirty years. Pipex was a dial-up internet provider that first launched in 1992, providing Scottish citizens with all the benefits that the world wide web has to offer.
As you can imagine, embracing this technology early has put Scotland in a very strong position. However, there are more interesting details about Scotland and its population’s internet usage. Read on to find out more about them.
Usage
Seeing as the internet is a newer concept, there has been some trepidation about its usage. As such, some countries have no internet at all, and other nations have limited usage numbers. The country with the lowest internet usage in the world is Eritrea in Africa, where only 0.8% of its residents has access. To put that number into perspective, Scotland is considered one of the countries with the highest amount of internet at 88%. As you can see, there is a lot between the two numbers.
One of the reasons for this level of usage stems from Scotland’s early attitudes to the internet. However, the early adoption of this technology has allowed experts to evolve their internet speeds. Scotland has some of the best fibre optic broadband across the country and was an early participant in 4G. This means that its citizens always have access to smooth-running data.
Digital Exclusion
Digital exclusion refers to the people that do not or cannot use the internet. This may be down to advanced age, disabilities, or the fact that they live in a region that the internet cannot reach. While there is no way to calculate exactly how many people are digitally excluded in a particular country, experts estimate that around 19% of the Scottish population does not know how digital technology works.
This stat may seem high in today’s environment, but you have to remember that Scotland has an aging population. Sources predict that almost 50% percent of the country will belong to the over-60s demographic by 2033, a group that does not need to conform to new technology trends. While many countries are seeing their digital exclusion rates fall, Scotland may see this rate remain consistent for a long time.
Access
The difference between access and usage lies in the property market. Internet access refers to the number of people that can physically log on and use the internet at any given time. As such, 93% of Scotland’s population has internet access. Compare that number to the 88% of people that use the internet, and you can decipher that 5% of the population are refusing to log on to the web. Therefore, we can also determine that 5% of people who are digitally excluded are either internet refusers or do not have a use for the internet. That leaves the remaining 8% as individuals with disabilities or other reasons why they physically cannot use this type of technology. These are all assumptions, of course. However, these are strong assumptions to make based on the data at hand.
Age
It should come as no surprise that it is the younger generation that has adopted the internet the quickest. Surveys have revealed that 99% of internet users in Scotland are aged between 25 and 34. You may have expected this age range to be lower, given how most internet companies market toward a younger age group. However, the internet is more than a collection of social media apps in today’s digital age.
The internet is now used in the modern workplace, so you can expect most of this age group to be working professionals whose companies have evolved to incorporate this technology to succeed. As such, you can expect this age usage figure to stay relatively the same in the years to come.
Time
Now that we know who is using the internet and how many people have access, what are the Scottish population using this technology for? Studies have shown that the number one reason people in this country use the internet is for online shopping. It is estimated that around 74% of users visited an online shopping site and bought something in the last year. This figure is about average, as statistics have revealed that 80% of all internet usage is geared toward e-commerce.
As you may expect, social media is the second most popular online activity in Scotland, with 61% of all internet usage going toward this past time. In third place is internet banking, with 57% of the Scottish population using the web to manage their money. This number is going to increase as more banks reveal this feature and phase out practical banking in the years to come.
There is a lot more going on in Scottish homes though, and you will find that the population also uses this service to view the news, stream T.V shows, and contact MyBuilder to find a plumber near me. These actions all fall in the top ten of percentages, so expect other western countries to follow similar usage patterns.
Providers
You already know that Pipex was the first company to introduce the internet to Scotland, but the market has expanded greatly in the last thirty years. In fact, Scotland now has a total of eleven companies that can provide internet.
Rise Broadband is the clear favourite among the local population, as they are available to 99% of homes in the country. they are a fixed wireless provider that you can sign up for if you live in the town of Paisley. The next two leaders in the internet race are T-Mobile Home Broadband and HughesNet, respectively.
Safety
As one of the countries with the longest connections to the web, you would imagine that Scotland would be fairly trusting when using the internet. However, this is not the case. With cybercrime on the rise, the Scottish population has battened down the hatches and prioritised online security.
Statistics have revealed that 68% percent of people living in Scotland refuse to put their personal information online, and a further 70% will not open an email if they do not recognise the sender. These are great practices to get into when you operate online, but there is a section of the population that is unaware of these protocols.
One recent survey revealed that 20% of internet users in Scotland do not have any internet security in place. These individuals were more likely to be older or from a less-advantaged area, so it seems that the Scottish government needs to place more focus on educating its population about the dangers they face when using the web.
Conclusion
As you can see from the stats above, Scotland is a nation that has embraced the internet wholeheartedly. This attitude is going to be necessary as we move further into the digital age, so this article should give you one more reason to be proud to be Scottish.