The World Online How UK citizens use the internet to find out about ...

The World OnlineHow UK citizens usethe internet to find outabout the wider world.by Alice Fenyoe

ContentsForeword 2executive summary 3Introduction 4Background 4The research process 4The sample 4Main findings 5The role of the internet in daily life 5The internet relationship 5Websites at the heart of regular usage 5The dominance of Facebook 6Accessing the news online 6Online connections to the wider world 7Finding out about the developing world online 8The research task and the development context 8The online literacy issue 8Successful online communication and content delivery 9Government sites as a source of information 10Conclusions 12Appendix 13Pen portraits used for recruitment 13AcknowledgementsThis report was written by Alice Fenyoe (TWResearch) and edited by Mark Galloway (IBT). Our thanks to TWResearch for conducting the audienceresearch and to DFID for funding this project. Design by birdy.International Broadcasting Trust, CAN Mezzanine, 32-6 Loman Street London SE1 0EH www.ibt.org.uk1

forewordWe live in the age of the internet with awealth of facts, figures, images and storiesfrom around the world available at the touchof button. But does this proliferation ofinformation lead to greater knowledge andunderstanding about what is happening inother parts of the world? That’s the questionwe set out to answer in this piece of research.Although researchers have written a greatdeal about online behaviour and, in particular,about a new generation of ‘digital natives’, noone has investigated whether the majority ofpeople in the UK are now more engaged withwhat is happening in other countries than theywere in the past.We discovered that most people in the UKuse the internet to find out about subjects inwhich they are already interested – they do not‘surf’ and come across interesting informationby accident. In this respect, online behaviouris very different from the way in which we usetraditional media, particularly television.So those who already have an interest in thewider world use the internet to deepen theirunderstanding. But the rest of the populationrarely read anything online which tells themabout the lives of people in other countries.This research poses a major challenge forthose of us who would like to see a nationof global citizens. If the internet is to fulfil itspotential we need to look for new ways ofdrawing people to its international content.Mark GallowayDirector, International Broadcasting TrustJanuary 2010.2

executive summary• Internet usage is driven by personal needand interest. Unlike broadcast and print,there is little discovery of content notdirectly relevant to the individual. Chanceencounters are few.•The audience’s relationship with the internetdiffers greatly from that with more traditionalmedia. Where broadcast and print mediadictate the stories told, the internet allowsaudiences to choose what they want to know.• The online news relationship is aboutbreadth of headline awareness and depthonly when a story is interesting. The youngerthe audience, the less ‘news interested’they are, and the more willing they are toadmit it.• The sphere of interest is primarily UKfocused, and therefore audiences rarelyencounter the wider world online. Thereare few examples of occasions whendevelopment issues meet personal areas ofinterest or relevance (e.g. a child on a gapyear, the World Cup in South Africa)• There is some evidence of the internet beingused to follow up specific lines of enquiry ormicro issues, such as finding out more aboutan interesting documentary on TV or how todo some volunteering work on holiday.• Since most people lack experience of findingout about the developing world online, theyhave little idea as to how they might go aboutit. Almost all searches start with Google, andthis search engine dependency brings withit a range of online literacy issues (notreflected in daily internet usage).• There is confusion around how to start asearch (which words to type in), how toassess the value and trustworthiness ofa range of unknown websites, and howto analyse the information gleaned whenrespondents have paid little attention to theactual websites and organisations visited.• Online illiteracy issues are more pronouncedthe older the audience. Confidence islower and usage more restricted to a fewcore activities.• Sites themselves are viewed very quickly,and are often dismissed on superficialgrounds (an unknown organisation is morelikely to be viewed than a familiar one if itssite looks more enticing). The aesthetics,layout and promise of interesting or relevantcontent are crucial in encouraging a visit.• There are four key challenges fororganisations involved in the communicationof development issues online:– There is a lack of interest in developmentissues unless they are personally relevant.– The internet makes avoidance ofdevelopment issues easier than other media.– Search engine dependency makes itdifficult for NGOs and other developmentrelated brands to cut through.– Audiences are either ‘news interested’or ‘internet savvy’ – few are both.Title of chapter/subchapter 3

introductionBackgroundThis qualitative research report was undertaken by TWResearchon behalf of IBT. Research was conducted amongst thegeneral public to explore how the internet is used in dailylife, and how it enables people to find out more about thedeveloping world. The research has two main objectives:1. To understand current online behaviour amongst keytarget audiences for development communications.2. To understand how the internet could be used to reachand engage priority audiences more effectively.The research processResearch was conducted in two stages. The first used groupdiscussions to explore current online usage, behaviour andrelationships. Respondents were asked to conduct tasks prior tothe group discussions, where they noted their online behaviour(which websites they used, what they used them for, how long theyspent online etc.) over the period of a week. In the second stagerespondents were asked to think about anything connected to thedeveloping world that interested them (they were encouraged tothink as broadly as they liked) and to use the internet to find outmore. Group discussions were then conducted to explore howrespondents investigated issues online and what they found.In summary:The sampleThe sample consisted of seven priority audiences,equally represented across the group discussions. Moreprofiling information can be found in the appendix.• Active Enthusiasts: Concerned about and engaged withglobal poverty. ABC1, aged 45-65, male and female.• Interested Mainstream: Concerned about globalpoverty. BC1C2, aged 35-50, male and female.• Family First Sympathisers: Concerned about globalpoverty but more concerned with domestic issues.C1C2, aged 30-45, mums with children at home.• Distracted Individuals: Concerned about global poverty,but distracted by their own problems C1C2, 20-35,male and female.• Young People aged 19-21: Interested in issues relatingto the wider world. BC1C2, male and female.• Young Men aged 17-18: Interested in issuesrelating to the wider world. BC1C2.• Young Women aged 15-16: Interested in issuesrelating to the wider world. BC1C2.STAGE 1PRE TASKWeek’s log of online behaviourWebsite repertoires7 X GROUP DISCUSSIONSExploring online behaviourSTAGE 2INTERIM TASKFind out about …. a ‘developingworld’ issue online7 X GROUP DISCUSSIONSExploring how new media isused to find out more aboutdeveloping world issuesResearch was conducted in London, Manchester and Derby in October and November 2009.The World Online How UK Citizens use the internet to find out about the wider world4

main findingsThe role of the internet in daily lifeThe internet relationshipOur focus groups revealed that the audience’s relationship with theinternet is very different to the one they have with media such as TVand print. The more traditional media relationship is far more didactic,with the agenda essentially driven by the provider. However, theinternet relationship is less passive with users asserting more controlover the content they access. There is a much greater sense withthe internet that people know exactly what they want to get from it.Usage is primarily driven by what is personally relevant. There islittle sense of the internet being used to ‘discover’ or ‘explore’. Asone respondent said “I think you get a bit lazy with the internetwhen you’ve got so much to look for, whereas TV’s direct, youcan just turn it on and watch it. You get more on the internet, youcan search more, but you don’t really look” (Young Person, 19-21). In the main, people use it to search for answers or solutionsto specific questions rather than to explore an issue at a broaderlevel. Searches are predominantly a series of sequential linkswith a clear destination always in mind, driven by a tangiblerather than a casual need. Because usage is so focused andso connected to personal need, tolerance for the ‘irrelevant’ ismuch lower than is the case for other media. Where a programmemight be stumbled across and watched on television, there islittle opportunity for an ‘irrelevant’ website to be accessed.The internet relationship is defined by habitual usage with smallnumbers of websites used regularly. Beyond the core 5 or 6 websitesat the heart of regular usage, few others are recalled. Search enginesare used not just as the start of all searches but also as the route toregular websites (urls are rarely remembered, bookmarking is morea diary of ‘where I’ve been’ than a shortcut to favourite sites).There are clear usage patterns across all audiences withthe most consistent being the morning ‘headlines’ check(both the news and Facebook). Beyond this, usagepatterns vary greatly and are dependent on age.Based on what our respondents told us, the internet is much moreof a constant in the lives of younger as opposed to older audiences.Facebook is accessed throughout the day, and many spend the eveningwith both the internet and the TV. Not only are younger audiencesaccessing multiple media at the same time, but also multiple sites– for instance catching up on Facebook, listening to the radio onlineand shopping at ASOS.com with the TV on mute. The higher incidenceof laptops amongst younger audiences makes their usage far moreflexible, and their laptops often travel with them around the home.Older audiences tend to have a much more functional focus. Theinternet is accessed in ‘chunks’ of time rather than continually. Thisis not just because internet usage is predominantly task driven, butalso because laptops and PCs tend to be stationary within the home.Websites at the heart of regular usageIn this research, we found that regular website usage is restrictedto a few sites used frequently. What is perhaps surprisingis the consistency of sites used across the sample – theinternet does not appear to encourage a particular diversityof usage but is in fact just as homogenised as television.Google, Facebook, and the BBC are sites regularly used byalmost everyone. Facebook and the BBC are often the firstsites checked. The BBC is used in the morning for news, sport,weather and travel headlines and then throughout the day asthe source of broader information – from recipes to gardeningto health. iPlayer is also a key draw across all audiences.ISP provider websites such as MSN and Yahoo! are often set ashomepages, providing not just email but also news headlines. For many(particularly young people), these headlines and a free paper on thecommute to work may be the only news accessed throughout the day.However, Sky News also emerges as a regularly used site, particularlyfor younger audiences. Its lighter, more accessible, entertainmentand sport credentials appear to be driving much of this usage.When analysing the regularly used sites for younger audiences(under 35s), the drivers to usage tend to be entertainment andenjoyment focused. YouTube emerges as the core entertainment site,browsed for entertaining videos in moments of boredom, but alsoincreasingly used as a source of information – for example practical‘how to’ videos. Wikipedia also satisfies a dual need – it is often thestarting point when looking for information but it’s also used as a‘trivia encyclopaedia’, with entertaining entries sourced and shared.Both eBay and ASOS emerge as frequently used sites for shopping.The nature of the bidding process on eBay also means that it canbe constantly accessed throughout the day, and its money savingpotential (both from a buying and selling perspective) lead to an almostaddictive relationship for some respondents. ASOS has a two-wayconversation with its consumers, which means that they sign up tonewsletters and magazines, and are asking ASOS to push content tothem. This demonstrates that once a trusted relationship is established,the internet can be used to push content to audiences. The key isestablishing the relationship or finding an existing relationship to utilise.Main Findings5

“I think you get a bit lazy with theinternet when you’ve got somuch to look for, whereas TV’sdirect, you can just turn it on andwatch it. You get more on theinternet, you can search more,but you don’t really look”In contrast, the focus for older audiences (over 35s) tends tobe more practical and functional. Apart from the BBC, Googleand Facebook, regularly used websites are MoneySavingExpert,Tesco and NHS Direct. MoneySavingExpert symbolises oneof the key benefits of the internet – the ability to become a‘savvy consumer’. Much internet usage (particularly for olderaudiences) is focused on getting value for money – whetherthe best or cheapest service or product – and the internetis felt to have empowered the consumer in this way.The dominance of FacebookIn our research, Facebook dominated all social networking usage.Twitter, myspace and Bebo were barely mentioned and only a fewrespondents could talk about them with any real knowledge.Facebook is the only website consistently open throughout the day formany respondents. It is used to keep in contact with core friendshipgroups, but also to keep an eye on wider circles of contacts (or‘stalking’ as younger audiences put it!). Facebook is the main, andoften only, source of discovery online – with music, shops, brands,games and issues discovered via friendship recommendations.There are some examples of respondents becoming ‘fans’ ofthings (from the generic activity ‘sleep’ to ‘Gossip Girl’) butthese are always carefully chosen and personally interesting.However, this sense of discovery is tempered by a clear sense thatyounger audiences are fully alert to the manipulation of Facebookby commercial organisations. Friends, favourite brands (fromASOS to Gossip Girl to Manchester United) are trusted sources ofrecommendations, but beyond this an element of scepticism isevident. Even within areas of interest such as music, respondentsspoke of endless club night promotions of low quality.Accessing the news onlineAs part of the research process, respondents were asked to keep an‘online diary’ over the period of a week. What was striking (beyondthe insight into which sites were actually being accessed that week)was the lack of mention of specific news and current affairs sites.The only specific news and current affairs sites visible areSky News, BBC News, Telegraph.co.uk and Guardian.co.uk.Although a number of respondents reported that online newsaccess meant they had stopped buying newspapers, the realityFigure 1: ‘wordle’ depicting all the websites used by respondents in a week. The size of the font depicts the sizeof the audience accessing the site (the larger the font, the more people accessed the site that week).The World Online How UK Citizens use the internet to find out about the wider world6

“You look at everything online in afar more superficial way than youwould with a newspaper andsome in-depth journalism”is that a quick scan of the headlines on their ISP or the BBCis often the only news accessed that day. Full stories wereaccessed only if deemed interesting – and these tended to bethe ‘big’ stories of the day, celebrity driven stories or sport.International stories were only really investigated if they had arelevant connection to the individual, i.e. if they were about afavourite sport, e.g. the World Cup in South Africa, or had a UKaspect e.g. the British couple kidnapped by Somalian pirates.As one respondent admitted “You look at everything online ina far more superficial way than you would with a newspaperand some in-depth journalism” (Interested Mainstream).There is clear evidence that online news is replacing the traditionalnews media, particularly newspapers. Respondents said they rarelypurchased a daily paper, although free papers were picked up andread for the length of the commute (although even here, reading mightonly include the front page, celebrity pages and horoscope). Weekendpapers are still bought, but often more for the supplements than thenews. Older respondents still had regular TV news appointments,but younger ones tended to catch the TV news as and when.TV news brands dominate online news access, althoughsome online newspaper brands are still used – particularlyif respondents want to get a fuller picture of a particularstory. It’s interesting to note that with newspaper brands,loyalty doesn’t necessarily cross over from print to online.The online versions are not seen as having the same politicalallegiances and therefore have the potential to reach broaderaudiences. A traditional Daily Mail reader would be more likelyto look at the Guardian online than buy the newspaper.The relationship between the news and the internet has a particularimpact on audiences from a generational perspective. Olderaudiences are more likely than younger ones to be interested inthe news, and talk about feeling guilty if they haven’t caught atleast the headlines that day. Younger audiences have no suchsense of obligation to keep abreast of the news, and happilydismiss it unless they find it particularly interesting or relevant.However, younger audiences tend to be more internet savvythan their older counterparts. They access a wider rangeof sites and are more familiar with the various means ofcontent delivery from video to audio to blogs and forums topersonalisation. This divergence of ‘news interested’ and ‘internetsavviness’ across the generations is a key challenge for anyorganisation targeting online development communications.Online connections to the wider worldAmongst our respondents, we found that the internet ispredominantly used to feed existing interests or answer specificquestions. It is rarely used to broaden horizons, and the developingworld is not a core focus of interest for these audiences. Eventhe most engaged respondent was not using the internetproactively to find out more about development issues.Finding out about the wider world was limited to four key pointsof connection:• The news: international stories are accessed in full if theyare interesting or relevant. Older respondents and the moreengaged are the exception, and they are more likely to bereading stories about the developing world due to a combinationof a sense of obligation and genuine interest. Key websites forinternational news are ISPs, BBC, Sky and some newspapers.• Family and friends: “When my daughter was in South America Idid keep more of an awareness about news and things that weregoing on” (Active Enthusiast). Increasingly, the UK public hasinternational connections whether through family roots or friendsmade on gap years. Respondents spoke of how the internet makesthese relationships more sustainable through social networkingsites. Communication is easier and the ability to share photosmeans that people can see and not just hear about other countries.Key websites for keeping in contact are Facebook and Skype.• Travel: before going on holiday, respondents said they oftenresearched the countries they were due to visit. Their mainfocus was safety, geography and climate. This was a point intime when respondents were the most receptive to receivinginformation about the country they were visiting. Someinvestigated the possibility of volunteering whilst on holiday.However, this level of engagement rarely lasts beyond theholiday itself, and there is no evidence of follow up research.Key websites for finding out about countries to be visited areLonely Planet, Rough Guide, UK embassies and the BBC.• Research for school/work: this is the most common reasonfor finding out about development issues. Although teenagersat school know a lot about development issues, there is littlesense of engagement beyond the curriculum. These issuesseemed particularly salient if explored in the working context,for example, for people trading in different countries or workingin the travel industry. Key sites used for research are Wikipediaand the BBC, although most people start with Google.Main Findings7

“If I did want to find out about Africaand what’s going on, I don’t thinkI’d know where to start, where tolook, what to type …”Finding out about the developing world onlineThe research task and the development contextRespondents were asked to think about anything thatinterested them which was connected to the developing world,and to find out more about it online. They were promptedwith a range of questions as examples of how broadly theycould think, from ‘I loved Slumdog Millionaire, what otherfilms about India might I like?’ to ‘how do I find out whataid workers not charity marketing people have to say?’One of the key findings from this process is that it failed to promptmany respondents to come up with their own questions. The vastmajority of questions explored were ones the researchers hadsuggested. There were very few examples of personal areas ofinterest that related to the developing world. This underlines thedistant relationship between the public and the developing world.Development issues aren’t immediately of interest to most people.A minority of these respondents were supporting developmentcharities. Most were more likely to be looking for reasons not tocare than to care. There were few points of connection with thedeveloping world (on or offline) and all were intermittent: ComicRelief every couple of years, major disasters or charity appeals.This highlights how important it is to keep in mind the contextof the audience relationship with development issues whenaiming to understand the role the internet could play ineducating and engaging people further. Charities and NGOshave traditionally had to force themselves onto people’s agendas,and the internet is no different a platform in this regard.Although respondents tended to choose to investigate questionsprovided by the researchers rather than their own, the choiceof questions highlighted the areas where (some) knowledge,interest or relevance existed. The most frequently asked questionsrevolved around three key themes: aid and the percentage ofmoney that goes to the recipient compared with the amountspent on administration; corruption and which countries arecorrupt and why, and the high street and whether it exploitsthe developing the world. These themes were the most likelyto prompt further investigation or stimulate discussion.Investigations into these themes tended to be conducted tosupport an existing point of view. There was little sense thatpeople were looking for the ‘whole story’ or information thatmight challenge existing preconceptions. Respondents generallybelieve that charities spend a lot of money on administrationand that most developing countries are corrupt. They tendedto select online information that supported these views.The online literacy issueThe process of trying to find out more about development issuesonline raised numerous issues concerning online literacy. Althoughrespondents, particularly younger ones, are adept at using the internetwithin personal spheres of interest, many were at a loss as to howto go about online exploration in an area they had little experienceof and knew little about. This issue traversed the generations:“If I did want to find out about Africa and what’s goingon, I don’t think I’d know where to start, where to look,what to type …” (Young Male, aged 17-18)“I’m very poor at finding out things. I tend to just use eBay and myemails really, so I found it quite difficult, because I’m not used tolooking for things on the internet” (Active Enthusiast, aged 45-65)“Where do I start?”Few people had any idea of useful sites they could use to findanswers to their questions. Almost all searches started withGoogle, and this raised the issue of what to ask and how to askit. The less internet savvy typed an entire question into Googleand then became frustrated at having to repeat the exercise anumber of times, and often gave up before their question wasanswered. As one respondent recalled “I found that you haveto ask the right questions. If you go for too broad a questionthen you get bombarded with irrelevant information, irrelevantsites, so you’ve got to break down the bigger picture as it wereinto smaller, more precise questions” (Active Enthusiasts)Navigating the pages of links added another layer of frustration.Some, often older respondents, weren’t quite sure how thehierarchy of links worked, and believed that bigger, and thereforemore trustworthy in this context, paid to be at the top. Others juststarted at the top and worked their way down until they got bored.As one teenager said “I spent about two minutes looking and thenwhen I couldn’t find the answer I gave up” (Young Female, 15-16).The more internet savvy looked for keywords amongst the linksand accessed sites accordingly. However, most looked for familiarbrands that led to organisations like the BBC and Wikipedia gettingpreference over other (potentially more useful) sites. “I lookedat the BBC because it was the first one to come in Google and Ithought it would be quite trustworthy” (Young Female, 15-16)The World Online How UK Citizens use the internet to find out about the wider world8

Figure 2: BBC ‘have your say’ and Yahoo! questions and answers“How do I know who and what to believe when I don’t knowanything about this area?”Once respondents had clicked on a website, the decisionabout whether to use it or move on was made in a matter ofseconds. Choices were often made on superficial aspectssuch as site aesthetics, for example colours, use of pictures,the amount of white space, ease of navigation around thesite and the appropriateness and quality of advertising.Although the delivery of content was assessed, the quality of the actualinformation was rarely questioned. The cynicism applied to traditionalmedia (the political or organisational agendas accredited to papers orprogrammes) was less apparent in the online context. The source itselfwas rarely queried, particularly if unknown. For example, respondentswere more likely to question Oxfam’s agenda than the agenda ofAntidictatorshipcom. As one respondent recalled “It was hard knowingwhat was reputable and what might be more biased and why peoplewere posting stuff, if there was some reason behind it, rather thanjust them wanting to give you information” (Young Person, 19-21).“I’ve found out a lot, but I can’t remember where I got it from.”Relatively little attention was paid to the source of information.This was indicative of the low interest in this area, but also of thecomplex nature of trails. In a matter of a few minutes four of fivesites may have been visited and respondents were often clickingfrom one site to another as well as going back to the initial Googlepage. Respondents were not always sure where they were andoften reported reading information without paying any attentionto which site they were accessing or where they had been.However, a few sites were named by individuals without referencingtheir notebooks. These tended to be sites that had answered questionsquickly and effectively (for instance DFID was mentioned for clearlyspecifying how their money is spent) or had provided a useful service(Intelligent Giving was mentioned for enabling savvy charity donations).If an organisation can get key areas of interest right on its website itstands a better chance of becoming part of the repertoire in this area.Successful online communication and content deliveryThere were clear examples of effective communication andcontent delivery that engaged and interested respondentsonce they had been encouraged to explore this area online.The people’s perspective: forums, Q & As(and blogs to a lesser extent)Respondents were interested in the voices ‘on the ground’ asthey felt free of agenda and spin (Figure 2). Forums and Q & Asprovided a sense of immediacy and honesty rather than a calculatedargument. Blogs tended to be less warmly received as they wereto some extent regarded as being driven by self-interest.Because all the information currently received around developmentissues is top down (from charities or government or the media)and respondents rarely had conversations about these issuesamongst their peer groups, there was a sense that they wantedto know what the dominant perspective was ‘on the ground’.They were interested in knowing more about what ‘peoplelike me’ thought so they could have a ‘savvier’ opinion.Another example of this desire for an alternative perspective emergedfrom the respondents more interested in development who citedthe independent expert opinion on sites such as Intelligent Givingand TED.Main Findings9

Figure 3: DFID and Poverty.com mapsIllustrating a sense of place and people: maps and storiesMaps immediately provide a sense of scale and geography. Theyare also innately intriguing and encourage further exploration. Mostrespondents had little idea where developing countries were andmaps provided them with a context that allowed them to relatecountries to where they’d been or which they knew about.The Poverty.com map with its personal stories tied to geographywas immediately emotive in terms of both scale and story.Respondents reported being drawn to clicking on the images tofind out more about the people. However, on discovering thatphotos and stories were composites, respondents felt misled.Seeing it for yourselves: filmFilm is highly effective in engaging an audience in a storyand in getting across a common humanity or telling a projectsuccess story. One respondent recalled “I found a link to areally interesting YouTube video about how bad it was in theMaldives, just about people living on a dollar a day. It was sogood I tweeted about it. It could have been a set-up but it wasdone as an amateur video and it was how it was reported. It wasjust information from a real person” (Interested Mainstream)However, although films were often effective once watched,getting respondents to watch them in the first place was thebigger challenge. In general, only the most engaged said theywould watch a film on these issues. For the majority, a film wasa step too far in terms of commitment – there were too mayunknowns at play such as how long it would be or how interesting.As one respondent said “I think with videos it’s a time issue,you can’t skim read a video, you can’t skip through it and pickout a key word” (Young Person, 19-21). With such low patiencelevels, it’s important that films are immediately engaging.Government sites as a source of informationIn general, respondents did not think of visiting governmentwebsites even if their search was related to government aid.Directgov and DFID emerged via some Google searches, withDirectgov more likely to be accessed first as it was the onlygovernment site which people were aware of. Respondentsreported being surprised that Directgov didn’t have any informationon international aid, as they had little idea where else theymight find it. Neither site necessarily appeared near the topof search pages even if the key words ‘government’ and ‘aid’were typed in, which meant that DFID in particular was oftenmissed. As one respondent said “I couldn’t believe I couldn’tjust go onto a government website with a question about howmuch the UK gives to Africa. I would have thought that was quitean easy question to answer somewhere” (Active Enthusiast)However, for those who did access the DFID site, responses werepositive. One of the key strengths of the site was that it didn’t feellike a government site. Where government sites were expected to bestaid, serious and boring, this was regarded as fresh, engaging andmodern. In addition, government and politics were often regarded asintertwined and therefore any government site immediately engenderedscepticism. However, this site was felt to be well designed and provideda sense of scale and expertise. As one teenager said “it was actuallyquite a decent website, it wasn’t boring and everything was easy tosearch out – like it had a sidebar which had all the recent news andFigure 4: PLAN and Fairtrade filmsThe World Online How UK Citizens use the internet to find out about the wider world10

“I found a link to a reallyinteresting YouTube video abouthow bad it was in the Maldives,just about people living on adollar a day. It was so goodI tweeted about it”you could look at specific events around the world, and you couldfind out specifically where the money went” (Young Male, 17-18).The site’s aesthetics were particularly appreciated – it was felt to bebright, colourful, fresh and well laid out with lots of white space and clearheadings. The films provided personal stories, and different imagesflashing up sustained interest. There was also a sense of stories frompeople on the ground – it was easy to find out about projects and theywere described from the perspective of aid workers and recipients.The UKAid logo was noticed and added status. It provided aclear indication as to what the site was about, and immediatelytapped into a key area of interest. There was a feeling thatUKAid, as a brand, could be a solution to the problem ofnot knowing where to go online to find out information aboutaid and development issues. As one respondent said “I justwanted a specific website that had everything bundled up,but there’s nothing like that at all” (Young Female, 15-16)Figure 5: The DFID website homepageMain Findings 11

conclusions and recommendations• The general public are unlikely to be proactive in exploringdevelopment issues online. Therefore, these issuesneed to find a way into the audience’s online world.• Sites that exist within regular repertoires should be utilised.However, organisations should think beyond just socialnetworking sites to those that already provide a bridge betweenthe public and the developing world, for instance travel, news,TV programmes and general search sites such as Wikipedia.• The source of any site or content recommendation is crucial andorganisations need to consider how people will find their contenton such sites. Who will they trust to recommend it? For instancepeer to peer, favourite brands, programmes or personalities.• Traditional media provides audiences with the ‘bigger picture’, butthe internet is better suited to answering specific questions andproviding personal points of connection with people and issues.• ‘Who to ask’ is as important as ‘what to ask’. Organisationsneed to find a way of establishing themselves, orintroducing new brands, as trusted sources.• There is a clear opportunity for using the UKAid brandas the basis for a site which could be a source ofinformation on aid and development issues. This couldbridge NGOs and relevant government departments.The World Online How UK Citizens use the internet to find out about the wider world12

AppendixPEN PORTRAITSActive EnthusiastsLifestyle: they are higher social class - likely to be reading thebroadsheets, shopping in Waitrose, probably buying organic,Fairtrade etc. They can afford a good lifestyle. They’re interestedin news and current affairs, probably listening to Radio 4.Likely to be giving to charity on a regular basis (may well be aninternational charity such as Oxfam). Key brands they like: TheGuardian, The Times, The Economist, Waitrose, Radio 4.Attitude to global poverty: they are very concerned about globalpoverty and worry about others’ problems, despite their own. Theystrongly believe we all have a responsibility and can do somethingto help alleviate global poverty. Regularly giving to charities workingin poor countries and some take ‘political action’ to help supportthis issue. They want to know more about how they can help. Theythink the UK government should do more, including increasingspending on development (even if that means higher taxes).Interested MainstreamLifestyle: they read the mid-market and broadsheet papers, and enjoygeneral interest magazines. They’ll shop in Sainsbury’s and go toM&S for a treat. They live comfortably within their means. The BBCprovides their core TV viewing, and they enjoy news, current affairsand documentaries. Likely to be listening to Radio 2 and 4. They arerelatively generous givers to charitable causes with interests rangingfrom conservation to mental health to overseas relief. Key brands theylike: Daily Mail, Sainsbury’s, English Heritage, BBC, Radio 2, M&S.Attitude to global poverty: they are concerned and quite empathetic,but have an optimistic outlook on life. They recognise they havesome responsibility to help and agree they should personally givemore money. Many do give regularly, but not the majority. They wantto know more about what they can do to help. They think the UKgovernment should do more, but not through greater taxation.Family First SympathisersLifestyle: they enjoy women’s magazines, but won’t often reada daily newspaper. They enjoy gossip, entertainment and watchdaytime and lifestyle programmes on TV. They do grocery shopsin Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and Netto, and pick up a bargain inTKMaxx. They give to charity but the focus is often people centredcharities such as the NSPCC or their local hospice. Key brandsthey like: Tesco, The Sun, Heat, OK!, TKMaxx, Eastenders.Attitude to global poverty: they are concerned about other people’sproblems. They recognize they have some responsibility and feelthere is something they can do. They’re not keen on giving moneythemselves directly, or through greater taxation. They won’t seek outinformation about how they can help. They think the UK governmentshould do more, but don’t trust the government to act in their interests.Distracted IndividualsLifestyle: they tend to prefer using the internet for information andentertainment rather then newspapers or magazines, althoughthey will dip into a magazine occasionally (e.g. Heat, Cosmo forwomen, Nuts or Autotrader for men). Brands are important whenthey go shopping. Soaps, chat and fun are their priority when itcomes to TV – not that interested in news and current affairs. Enjoylistening to Radio 1 and Xfm. Lots of socializing – down the pub, outto the cinema. Not particularly socially conscious, but they do putmoney in charity boxes occasionally. Key brands they like: Metro,Heat, IKEA, Xfm, myspace.com, Nuts, Hollyoaks, T4, YouTube.Attitude to global poverty: they are concerned about global povertybut feel they have enough problems of their own to worry about.They’re unsure whether they have any responsibility to help anddon’t think there’s anything they can do anyway. They’re not keenon giving money themselves, or through greater taxation. Theyare happy to know more about how they can help but are unlikelyactively to find out. Some support the UK government doing moreand most trust the government to act in the country’s best interests.Appendix 13