TY - JOUR
T1 - Digital inequalities in rural Australia: A double jeopardy of remoteness and social exclusion
AU - PARK, Sora
PY - 2017
Y1 - 2017
N2 - In an era of a highly digitalized society, Australia's rural areas continue to be at a digital disadvantage.
With the increasing penetration of information and communications technology (ICT) into all public and
private realms, there is a need to examine the deeply rooted digital divide and how it is intertwined with
issues of social exclusion in rural communities. This study focused on remoteness as an indicator of
digital exclusion, and investigated its relationship with other dimensions of social exclusion. A secondary
data analysis using Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) regional data revealed that remoteness was a
strong predictor of home Internet and broadband connectivity, but digital divide was exacerbated by
other socio-demographic factors such as educational levels and employment status. When implementing
digital inclusion strategies, both supply (infrastructure) and demand (education levels, industry sector,
employment opportunities, socio-demographics) factors must be considered
AB - In an era of a highly digitalized society, Australia's rural areas continue to be at a digital disadvantage.
With the increasing penetration of information and communications technology (ICT) into all public and
private realms, there is a need to examine the deeply rooted digital divide and how it is intertwined with
issues of social exclusion in rural communities. This study focused on remoteness as an indicator of
digital exclusion, and investigated its relationship with other dimensions of social exclusion. A secondary
data analysis using Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) regional data revealed that remoteness was a
strong predictor of home Internet and broadband connectivity, but digital divide was exacerbated by
other socio-demographic factors such as educational levels and employment status. When implementing
digital inclusion strategies, both supply (infrastructure) and demand (education levels, industry sector,
employment opportunities, socio-demographics) factors must be considered
KW - Australia
KW - Digital divide
KW - Internet
KW - Remoteness
KW - Rural ICT
KW - Social exclusion
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84970024877&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.mendeley.com/research/digital-inequalities-rural-australia-double-jeopardy-remoteness-social-exclusion
U2 - 10.1016/j.jrurstud.2015.12.018
DO - 10.1016/j.jrurstud.2015.12.018
M3 - Article
VL - 54
SP - 399
EP - 407
JO - Journal of Rural Studies
JF - Journal of Rural Studies
SN - 0743-0167
ER -