51% vulnerable people have internet access: Survey

Some 51% of the vulnerable community have access to the internet while nearly two-thirds of them own a mobile phone, according to a recent survey by Grameenphone and Plan International Bangladesh.

Opportunity to use someone else's phone ensured access to mobile connectivity for 84.7% of the survey respondents from communities considered vulnerable due to their struggles in social inclusion, economic life or access to essential services.

The "Inclusive Digital Future" Baseline Survey Report was launched at GP House in the capital yesterday and it revealed that climate-affected people, ethnic minorities, tea garden workers, the Bede community, transgender, children living in stress, diabetics, or small town business women who responded to the survey are not "as remote or as disconnected as previously perceived."

"The degree of phone access is surprisingly high among the members from different vulnerable groups. However a large portion are still without access to the internet due to various social and financial concerns," said the report.

A large group within the communities who have access to the internet, use it for mostly entertainment purposes, while a small but surprising segment uses the internet for different productive purposes as well, including skill development, availing government services and using mobile financial services, it added.

One-fourth of the respondents use the internet for income-generating purposes. 10% of the others use the internet to gather information related to their respective fields.

Less than six in every 100 respondents use the internet to avail government services.

Women are lagging behind men in vulnerable communities too, in terms of access to the internet. On average there is a four percentage point gap, while excluding the small-town business women who are in decision-making roles the gap widens to 20 percentage points, according to the report.

Women also lag in terms of financial inclusion and digital awareness.

The survey highlights the behaviour, challenges, and needs of the eight hard-to-reach or marginalised communities.

Mohammad Navid Safiullah, additional secretary of the ICT Division, in his speech as the chief guest at the launching event said, "To cope with the fourth industrial revolution, we have to build digitally equipped smart citizens. So that the smart citizens will have their solution in their hands."

Plan International Bangladesh Country Director Kabita Bose and Grameenphone CEO Yasir Azman were among the discussants who called for interventions for deeper digital inclusion.