The ‘E – unengaged’ are typically groups that do not have access to electronic communications or technologies. Most are too old, too poor or too poorly educated to be able to access them, and instead traditionally rely upon personal contacts they trust for advice. Within this Group there are low levels of literacy and many people do not feel that their life outcomes are much subject to their own decisions. Within this group there is a very low level of ownership of personal computers, very little access to them at work and little ambition to master the skills necessary to take advantage of information technologies. Unsurprisingly, these people have a very low level of using email at any location (home, work and other locations) or participating in other on-line activities.

Members of this Group tend to live in the poorer areas of traditional mining and manufacturing towns and to have conservative social attitudes. A high proportion of the Group is made up of elderly people, many of whom live in social housing or sheltered accommodation.

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This Type contains a number of people, mostly older women it would seem, whose primary use of the Internet, if they use it at all, is to buy apparel, children’s clothes and vitamins. For these people the Internet is seen as an electronic version of a mail order catalogue, and not something that you learn from. Its members are particularly unlikely to own a mobile phone or to subscribe to cable television.

This type comprises people with some limited interest in electronic technologies but who have neither the education nor income to become heavily engaged in using them. Many of this type are men who have recently retired or who are approaching retirement. A high proportion has access to cable television.

This Type contains many old males, some of whom have an interest in electronic technology and like to read about it, but few of whom use it for obtaining information or for on line ordering. This is a Type which has very low take up of cable television. Many transient people fall into this category.

This Type has particularly low levels of use of computers and the Internet, knows next to nothing about the technology and has no motivation to do so. They enjoy more traditional modes of communication, but the mobile phone represents the limit of their technical ambition. Many of this Type are female and elderly.

This Type consists mostly of very old people who feel that they predate anything to do with electronic technologies. Members are particularly unlikely to be found purchasing or reading ‘techie’ magazines and are among the least likely to find the computer a useful medium for playing computer games – or even watching videos. Members of this Type have little interest in acquiring E-technology skills.

This Type consists mostly of very elderly adults, many living on their own, who have very poor levels of access to electronic technology. Technology seems to be moving on at a rate faster than they can keep up with – for this Type, mobile phones and cable television are still novelties, never mind personal computers and the Internet.