In response to the publication of the new Office of National Statistics bulletin on Internet access – households and individuals: 2017, Andrew Kaye, Head of Policy at Independent Age, the older people's charity, said:
“With Britain ageing so rapidly and digital technologies becoming so essential to how businesses and public services operate, we must not ignore the fact that nearly 2 in 5 households with one adult aged 65 or over don’t have access to the internet. Older people in general are much less likely to shop online, do internet banking or use social media. As long as this is the case, it’s really important people still have a choice about how they access goods and services otherwise we risk disadvantaging a large group of older people by going ‘digital by default’. Retailers, banks and public services must ensure that customers can access their services using their preferred method of communication, whether that be over the internet, in person or on the telephone.”