Alam, Khorshed and Salahuddin, Mohammad (2015) Assessing digital divide and its determinants: a case study of households’ perception in the Western Downs region of Queensland. Project Report. University of Southern Queensland , Toowoomba, Queensland. [Report]
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Abstract
The Internet has been transforming the Australian economy and society for almost two decades. But Internet penetration has grown at a spectacular speed in Australia in quite recent times. Its macro and micro impacts in the Australian context are well recognized. Despite the enormous influence of the Internet in shaping the Australian economy and society, limited research has been conducted to gain an understanding of Internet usage behaviour in Australian households and to assess how the Internet is impacting on them.
A few studies have voiced concern not only for the inequality in access to the Internet in different parts of Australia, but also for the different types of divides which exist with respect to, for example, age, education attainment, income and ability to use the Internet. Although the Western Downs region in Queensland is one of the most promising regions in Australia in terms of its economic strength, there has been no assessment of the role of the Internet in this region. The current study addresses this gap and examines Internet usage behaviour in Western Downs region households. The study also assesses the potential for broadband Internet to generate social capital at the regional level and, furthermore, it discusses the barriers to and opportunities for digital inclusion in the region.
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