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Almost half of the UK are 'computer illiterate'
(02-04-08) - Despite the ever-increasing dominance of technology in our lives, 42 per cent of the UK still considers themselves computer illiterate according to a new report by BT Home IT Support.
The UK IT Literacy report, released yesterday, surveyed 500 men and women and found that although computer confidence was low across the board, three quarters of women considered themselves IT illiterate, compared to only 55 per cent of men.
Although the report found that 46 per cent of women got so “digitally frustrated” that they “could scream” - compared to only 30 per cent of men - women came out on top when it came to asking form help.
Taza Mohammedbhai, head of home IT support at BT, said: “Given the importance of technology in both work and play, it’s surprising that so many people lack confidence in their skills. It looks like Britain could be suffering from a serious case of low self-esteem when it comes to their digital lifestyle. While the research shows that low IT self-esteem affects both sexes, men clearly perceive themselves to be the superior sex when it comes to IT literacy.”
BT (www.BT.com) also found that women spend over eight hours a year solving IT problems compared to only three hours for men.
Emma Neale, BT Home IT Support Advisor, added: “We have found that more women than men are subscribing to the service. Men tend to call in when they’ve encountered a problem, tried to solve it and failed. We’ve found that our female customers are more likely to call for advice when they’ve got a general enquiry about their computer, rather than just when there’s a problem.”
Michael Phillips, BroadbandChoices.co.uk product director, said: “If you are a technophobe, and you’re looking for a new broadband service, make sure that you choose one that offers free or cheap technical support - such as O2 (www.O2.co.uk) or AOL (www.AOL.co.uk) - as some ISPs charge as much as 50p per minute to help you solve technical problems,” he advised.
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