IT Journalists sceptical about Government's digital plans

MORI's latest survey of IT journalists ¹ casts doubt on the Government's ability to put Britain on the digital map. The majority reject the notion that Britain is a leading digital player and are sceptical that the government will be able to meet its plans in this area.

Despite his own confidence that the Government can deliver, e-envoy Andrew Pinter will face an uphill battle in convincing these journalists. According to the survey, seven in ten disagree that Britain is at the forefront of the digital age and two-thirds do not think that the government will meet the target set for the "digital switch-over" from analogue to digital TV between 2006-2010.

There are also concerns about whether digital TV will be attractive enough to encourage sufficient uptake. Interactivity is heralded as one of the key benefits of digital TV yet these findings suggest that consumers would still be more likely to use their PCs for online shopping by the year 2005 (by a margin of 2:1).

Separate research conducted on MORI's monthly Technology Tracker ² among the general public shows that while penetration of digital TV has more than doubled in the past year (to 37%), it has remained static in the past quarter (from July to September 2001). If the market has plateaued for the time being, it will be become even harder for the government to achieve its target without offering incentives.

Commenting on the findings, Andrew Collinge, who heads up MORI's e-Government division says: "There is still a great deal of work to be done to facilitate wider access to digital TV. If policy goals are to be turned into reality, a better understanding of the drivers of public uptake will be just as important as stimulating the broadband network or the various forms of government intervention under consideration."

The survey also reveals widespread doubt surrounding the government's ability to deliver on other related initiatives including electronic service delivery and online voting. Seven in ten regard the strategy of having all government services available on line by 2006 as being unrealistic and a majority (53%) do not expect online voting in local and general elections to be available by then either.

Technical details

1. MORI interviewed 70 IT journalists from the national, local and specialist press and broadcast media. Interviews were conducted online in July 2001. The IT Journalists survey is one of a suite of regular surveys among UK opinion leaders (the Key Audience Research Programme). Other audiences covered in the Programme include government, the financial community, the business community, the media and the general public.
2. MORI interviewed a quota sample of 4,019 adults in Great Britain for the September 2001 Technology Tracker. All interviews were carried out face-to-face between 6-10 and 20-24 September 2001.