Only 24% of households have a computer at home and only 16% of Jamaican households have internet access. These findings were disclosed by Professor Hopeton Dunn, Director, Telecommunications Policy Management Programme, as he presented in the outcomes of the recently completed Caribbean ICT Indicators and Broadband Survey for Jamaica.
The high cost of equipment is a major factor in not having internet access or computers in the home. However, several homes without a computer reported higher internet use via mobile phones and at other locations.

Speaking at the recently held Inaugural Editors Breakfast and Media Briefing for the Mona School of Business (MSB), Professor Dunn, Director of the Telecommunications Policy and Management (TPM) Programme at MSB, noted that “while 16% is a relatively low level of household internet access, about 42% of individuals, as against households, reported having internet access whether at home or outside.” Professor Dunn said that this level of access is still not satisfactory and will have implications for empowerment of the average citizens in the present market for skills and global competencies. “We need to look more closely at how we can broaden and deepen internet and computer access by more Jamaican families including children.”

Professor Dunn said, “What we are finding is that there is a profile that can be developed on the users and non-users of the internet. Primary users of the internet were found to be the youth, within age range 15-34 years.  Main activities conducted on the internet were sending and receiving emails and social networking, reflecting the age profile of the user. The use of the internet for business and economic purposes was quite low. Men were more likely to be non-users than women with 52% of women and 48% of men having internet access. Self-employed persons were also more likely to be non-users with only 18% stating that they used the internet within the last year.”

It is hoped that this kind of data will be used to inform medium and long term planning objectives of policy makers as they direct efforts at achieving universal broadband reach in line with global trends.

The Caribbean Broadband and ICT Indicators Survey was led by the Telecommunications Policy and Management Programme, Mona School of Business, UWI. It was funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada. Design and planning of the survey was by a team of partners led by the TPM, MSB. Fieldwork was conducted by the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) between October 2010 and January 2011. As the Research Director, Prof. Dunn said the survey provides reliable and accurate data on household and individual usage of computers, internet and mobile phones patterns across Jamaica. Among other data garnered includes statistics related to media usage, expenditure on phone calls and the use of the internet by persons with disabilities.