More than half of Irish adults are "late adopters" of technology and 40 per cent of people believe the Internet is not relevant to their lives, a Government report to be published later today will show.
The report, which is the most comprehensive study ever undertaken on the topic of "e-inclusion", found that housewives, retired people, rural workers and the unemployed are the groups most at risk of being excluded from the information society.
Most of these "late adopters" of technology either do not access the Internet at all, or use it less than once a month, creating large segments of the population with little or no technological skills.
This lack of technology knowledge is a barrier to creating an information society - one which uses the latest information and communication technologies to enhance everyday life.
A failure to address the exclusion of large segments of the population from the benefits of new technology will undermine the Republic's future competitiveness in terms of attracting inward investment and prevent the Government from introducing new cost-saving technologies, say the report's authors.
E-inclusion: Expanding the Information Society, which was commissioned by the Information Society Commission and the Department of the Taoiseach, also criticises Government policy on creating an inclusive information society, saying it is currently "weak, fragmented and urgently needs focus".
It recommends developing a more co-ordinated Government approach to tackling the issue of "e-inclusion" and the formation of a new national plan with clear actions, targets and priorities.
This action plan should seek to motivate groups that are most at risk of being excluded from the information society to investigate the potential of technology.
The study found that "late adopters" of technology were interested in gaining access to public services online and urges the Government to develop new user-friendly ways for people to access these services online.
The Government should promote the concept of community and voluntary organisations taking a role in developing technology skills among the public.
It must also make access to Internet technologies much more widely available in the home and at public access points such as libraries, schools and community centres.
The authors also recommend that the Government reinstate the Community Application of Information Technology initiative, which provided grants worth €8 million to help local communities purchase technology.
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