Towards a Scottish Minimum Digital Living Standard: Phase 2

5 Conclusions

5.1 Overall findings

The Minimum Digital Living Standard (MDLS) research aims to advance digital inclusion policy and elevate research discussions beyond basic measures of access and skills. It seeks to develop a framework that captures digital needs in their broadest sense while examining the consequences of lacking these needs. The work with families here and other MDLS projects highlights the significance of digital access in modern life and the repercussions of its absence. This is important not only for the convenience it brings to daily tasks, communication, and family organisation but also for its impact on social inclusion, well-being, and opportunities.

An overarching observation from the interviews was that households perceived their minimum digital needs in terms of access to connectivity, devices, and data. However, this was experienced in relation to what they needed in 'relative' terms to maintain a minimum standard of living and avoid deepening any social exclusion and its impact on the family. The national Minimum Digital Living Standard, set by UK households, is specifically designed to capture such relative needs, depending on household composition. The standard includes different amounts of equipment, broadband speeds, and mobile access as well as skills based on household member ages. Digital, through its roles in socialisation, development, information, entertainment, and daily functioning, is nested within family circumstances and context, evidenced by the fact that families spoke about digital in contextual terms. They assessed—and reflected on—the digital in relation to their household needs and development. This was perceived through various family member positions (parents or age of children) and roles (in the family or the community, or in education, training, or work), all of which they referred to when managing resources and expectations.

Overall, the families in our sample had to find ways to cope with limited resources. The lack of devices was intertwined with broader issues of affordability and financial pressures that affected families. Parenting and family culture play significant roles in how families navigate the challenges of being digitally under-resourced. The families we interviewed actively sought ways to share and manage their limited resources, although this affected schooling, training, family activities, and socialisation. Families described a culture of digital assumption, which they felt marginalized those who struggled with online interactions and required services. They also linked the digital assumption to inadequate professional understanding and difficulties in finding appropriate support.

The study reiterates similarities to findings in England and Wales regarding the importance of digital inclusion for families, the requirements for digital participation, and concerns about skills confidence, risks, and whom to trust. However, the interviews provided interesting insights into the Scottish context. In terms of local policy, particularly from local and regional authorities, this pertains to the uneven provision of direct support, such as access to tablets through schools and laptops via local community organisations for adults undergoing training. This finding is consistent with those across the rest of the UK, where policy and provision can vary considerably at local and regional levels (see Polizzi, et al., 2024). Additionally, the varying impact of geography and locale on addressing digital needs was evident. Notably, the contrast between broadband and mobile signals is relatively stable, with only pockets of connectivity drops in urban areas. In contrast, poor mobile coverage, power outages, and the effects of the copper wire switch-off impact everyday tasks and digital access in more rural areas. Best practices in regional support, including initiatives through libraries and local community organisations, can be found across Scotland and the UK (see Polizzi, et al., 2024). However, there were also discrepancies in access to support; those living near libraries, schools, and community groups were better positioned to access support and digital resources, with opportunities to connect to community and in-person activities. Meanwhile, the dispersed nature of support infrastructure in rural communities diminished families’ ability to connect with support and information.

There were also differences in access to support. In rural communities, the dispersed nature of support infrastructure limited families’ ability to connect with support and information. In contrast, those living near libraries, schools, and community groups were better positioned to access support and digital resources, with opportunities to engage with the community and participate in in-person activities.

Overall, from Phases 1 and 2 we can draw some broad conclusions. First, for households:

• Digital exclusion is closely linked to social exclusion and economic inequalities. However, as noted above and in the MDLS work across the UK, we find that digital exclusion not only exists but also exacerbates these issues within the context of an increasingly digital society.
• As noted in the discussion above, our findings reinforced the importance and relevance of the equipment, practical skills, and safety skills elements of the MDLS.
• Both families and stakeholders identified affordability as a significant barrier. It is not included in the MDLS definition, which outlines what people need. Affordability is one of the main barriers to MDLS, relating to having the financial resources to meet those needs. It remains a major obstacle to digital access and services for low-income households and vulnerable groups.
• Stakeholders and families have expressed concerns about the availability and quality of infrastructure supporting access in Scotland, particularly regarding broadband and mobile services, as well as local community support. The challenges posed by distances and travel infrastructure are highlighted as being greater than those in other UK regions. This is an area of considerable investment and activity by and for the Scottish government (e.g. the R100 programme). However, we would also note from this and many other projects that qualitative interviews provide much anecdotal evidence of a perception or experience gap between availability to cabinet/house and experience within the home, likely due to issues of set-up (location and quality of router) or physical home environment (e.g. ‘thick’ walls). This ‘final few meters’ complexity is an issue in all of the UK.
• The MDLS serves as a baseline starting point; however, interventions must take into account the specific challenges that various Scottish households encounter in meeting the MDLS and their additional needs.

For stakeholders and government:

• Funding for support interventions, particularly long-term rather than project-by-project, is identified by both Scottish stakeholders and those across the UK as a key issue. We acknowledge that funding poses a challenge for all governments at present. Therefore, this presents a possible route for considering how to utilise funding that becomes available.
• Coordination: the necessity of aligning offers in various regions and locations to maximise the value of interventions. However, the research team has observed from other studies that the existing coordination in Scotland appears to be significantly higher than in other areas of the UK.
• Community and community-facing digital skills support: enhanced assistance for providing tailored digital skills education across various communities and age groups.

A Scottish MDLS could provide a framework for assessing the needs of citizens and the optimum policy interventions at the household, community, and national levels. MDLS is not simply a “list of kit and skills”; rather, it serves as a starting point for considering the extent to which specific households fall below a nationally and deliberatively derived standard. This standard has been established to indicate the threshold below which any specific deficiency may affect a household’s ability to engage with an increasingly digital society. A lack of devices might limit access to education, while a lack of skills may elevate the risk of online harms. MDLS also initiates discussions about the needs of households within specific groups, such as those with disabled members or those for whom English is a second language. It is additionally a tool for assessing digital inclusion in context.

5.2 Scottish MDLS, Welsh MDLS, national MDLS project, and UK government Digital Inclusion Action plan.

Since the work on the Scottish MDLS commenced, several developments across the UK have emerged that set a new context for this effort. First, the UK government has developed a Digital Inclusion Action Plan that directly references both this Scottish work and that of the Welsh Government. The Welsh Government has integrated the MDLS into its policy and undertaken pilot projects in social housing areas, incorporating MDLS ideas into the national survey for Wales. The national UK MDLS project, funded by Nuffield, will also report on the full standard for all household types in summer 2025.

In this report, we have highlighted the perceptions of both citizens and stakeholders. We believe these comments reflect important regional and Scottish perceptions. However, these need to be considered in light of the substantial work on digital inclusion undertaken by the Scottish Government within the context of the Digital Scotland policy framework (https://www.gov.scot/policies/digital/). We believe these findings can help tease out any specific Scottish needs or policy alongside these other national activities.

5.3 Areas for policy intervention or focus

The comments from stakeholders and Scottish households appear to highlight a set of areas where policy intervention may be needed to deliver a Scottish MDLS.

• Access and affordability
• Training and support
• Linkage to other local or regional resources

5.3.1 Access and affordability

This research and our other work across the UK have taken place at a time when many households, if not the majority, are facing significant financial pressure. Consequently, access to sufficient and affordable internet is likely to become increasingly important for families, given the growing dependency on the internet. However, with tighter budgets, people are having to make tough decisions about which bills to prioritise. Recent research from both Ofcom and Lloyds Bank indicates that over a third of people have struggled with communications costs or feel that the rising cost of living will affect their ability to go online.

The MDLS does not define a specific level of broadband service (e.g., a particular Mbps speed) as this is relative to household size. Instead, we have stated: “With sufficient speed to support all family members to access the internet at the same time.” In this Scottish work and our broader efforts for the MDLS in other regions (e.g., Wales, Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Liverpool City Region), we find that experienced broadband speeds, combined with levels of mobile data—including the presence of poor connectivity and not-spots—leave many households below the MDLS minimum requirement. The Ofcom “affordability” criteria of USO being less than £45 per month are also far above low-income families’ ability to pay. Again, recent work for Greater Manchester has found that a social tariff price point above £12-£15 per month is too high for social housing tenants to be willing to pay for access. Delivering this minimum via a range of policy and practical means, therefore, remains the fundamental starting point for digital inclusion.

5.3.2 Training and support

Our Scottish MDLS group findings reinforce the general observation that there is a significant need for support for both parents and children in practical safety and confidence-building skills. We note that factors related to geography and rurality in the context of Scotland pose much greater challenges for delivering such support in person compared to other areas of the UK.

5.3.3 Linkage to other local or regional resources

From our work, we observe that issues of rurality and digital inclusion extend far beyond merely delivering broadband to households, although this remains a crucial initial step. They also affect access to various local resources that can facilitate access, skills, and practical support. MDLS, as developed here, provides a framework for assessing the extent to which households are integrated within communities and locations that can enhance all aspects, from digital goods and services to skills and confidence. The goal of MDLS is to serve as a tool to assist in making such assessments for households within different Scottish communities and to identify which essential areas within MDLS require the greatest local support.

5.4 Recommendations

• The Scottish Government should establish a Minimum Digital Living Standard for Scotland, representing a threshold that households should be supported to attain and not fall below, as part of creating a shared vision for digital inclusion in Scotland.
• The Scottish Government should work with the central UK government under the Digital Infrastructure Action Plan and with key regulators (e.g. Ofcom) to ensure that the broadband and mobile data infrastructure is in place to achieve the standard where policy and regulatory levers lie outside devolved powers. We note the current R100 programme is focused on this.
• The Scottish Government should use the Minimum Digital Living Standard for Scotland to help inform and measure progress towards the goals set out in the Digital Scotland policy.
• The Scottish Government and local governments across Scotland should leverage the standard to catalyse coordinated, collaborative action across sectors and identify tangible policy and practice actions to support every household in Scotland—particularly in utilising the MDLS to understand local and specific barriers to meeting local needs.
• Organisations based in Scotland - across public, private, voluntary, and community sectors - can use the Minimum Digital Living Standard for Scotland to assess their approach, support collaboration, and allocate resources for digital inclusion.
• The MDLS team should continue to collaborate with the Scottish Government, as well as the Welsh, UK, and other regional authorities, to integrate new MDLS findings on all household types and rural areas; to communicate the MDLS to Scottish citizens; to explore additional barriers to achieving MDLS; and to convene policy and practice stakeholders in Scotland and throughout the UK to identify who needs to take action to help achieve MDLS for both Scottish and UK households.