Ethnic Minorities: At the forefront of digital communications in the UK - Ofcom Report

Ethnic Minorities:At the forefront of digital communications in the UK

Media Guardian Ethnic Media Summit16 September 2008

1

Ofcom’s Media Literacy project

Access

Understand

Create

Use, volume of use and breadth of use of different platforms

Understand and evaluate content

Create content and interact with media devices or with other users

Ofcom has a duty under the Communications Act to bring about a better understanding of the nature and characteristics of electronic media to the general public

This report is one of a suite of Ofcom Media Literacy publications

2

Methodology

• Sample of 300 from four different ethnic minority groups – Indian, Pakistani, Black Caribbean and Black African communities

• Face-to-face, using a specialist research agency Ethnic Focus in November/December 2007

• Multiple languages offered – English, Punjabi, Gujarati, Urdu, French, Somali or Arabic

• Sample representative of each of the ethnic minority groups

3

Ethnic minorities are younger and more likely to be in C2DE households

4

14%21%

30%

16%21%

18%

28%

24%

22%

29%

20%

18%

20%

24%

33%

15%

16%13%

19%

9%

14%

12%11%

14%

5%19%

5% 2% 4% 2%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

UK Indian Pakistani Black Caribbean Black African

65+

55-64

45-54

35-44

25-34

16-25

Demographics – Age

% aged under 45

52% 67% 74% 62% 83%

Ethnic minority groups are younger than the UK population as a whole

5

27% 29%

43%38% 35%

18%27%

24%28%

25%

29%

25%

21% 22%25%

25%19%

12% 13% 16%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%


AB

C1

C2

DE

Demographics – Socio-economic group

% C2DE 45% 56% 67% 66% 60%

They are also more likely to be C2DEs

6

Ethnic minorities are at the forefront of media take-up and use

7

74%52% 49%

38% 38%

69%

63%49% 66% 60%

63%

43%

37%26%

45%


Watch videos/ DVDs

Listen to the radio

Read newspapers/magazines

Regular use of different media

They are less likely to use traditional media like newspapers and magazines and radio

8

43%52%

61% 55%47%

13%

20%

20%

13%18%

30%

12%

11%

14% 19%

1% 2% 1% 1%1% 3%3%

1% 4%

14%9%

18% 14%17%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

UK Indian Pakistani BlackCaribbean

Black African

Analogueonly

No TV

Other

Freeview

Cable

Satellite

Ownership of digital TV platform

% Cable & Satellite

55% 72% 81% 67% 64%

… adults from ethnic minority groups are more likely to subscribe to cable & satellite television

9

80%

79%

72%

50%

60%

64%

70%

67%

49%

45%

38%

41%

41%

24%

38%

30%

28%

21%

11%

37%

34%

26%

10%

13%

12%

16%

11%

7%

63%

17%

Black African

Black Caribbean

Pakistani

Indian

UK

Use your mobile phone

Talk on your landline/home phone

Go on the internet

Listen to music on CD/MP3 player/ computer

Listen to a radio station

Play computer gameson a games console

69%

86%

86%

82%

87%

… and they are more likely to use other media while watching TV

Use of other media while watching TV% who say they use other media while

watching TV

10

Ethnic minorities more likely to download video and audio content but confidence in finding content online is lower.

11

67%

61%

97%94%

77%

68%

100%98%

79%

72%

98%95%

85%

77%

98% 98%

91%

78%

100%97%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Digital TV DAB radio Internet Mobile phone

UK Indian Pakistani Black Caribbean Black AfricanInterest in digital media functionality

Adults from ethnic minority groups are more interested in using different functions of digital devices

12

57%54%

38%

65%

70%

59%

76%74%

61%

79%

74%70%

72%69%

52%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Listen to or download music online Watch or download short video clips suchas music videos or comedy clips

Watch or download longer videos such asfilms or TV programmes

UK Indian Black Caribbean Black African

They are also more likely to use the internet to download video or audio content

13

Confidence in finding content online

83%

69%

75%

91%

10%

15%

19%

15%

4%

1%

1%

1%

6%

9%

11%

10%

5%

75%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Black African

Black Caribbean

Pakistani

Indian

UK

Confident Neither Don't know Not confident

But they are less confident about finding content online

14

76% 74% 67% 60%

48% 55% 46%42%

39%

41% 26%29%

22%19%

22%24%

21%23%

24%

22% 23%21%

25%17%

24% 23%21%

13%

14%13%

10%

11%

76%

11%

10%

12%

10%9%


Public/ civic

Leisure information

News

Entertainment

Creativity

Transactions

Work/ studies information

Communication

Use of the internet

They are much less likely to use the internet for shopping and banking online

15

Concerns about media are significantly higher among ethnic minorities

16

55%

65%73% 73%

60%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Concerns about TV


Offensive content• too much violence• sex/nudity/bad language

Poor quality content• too many ads• too many repeats

Adults from ethnic minorities are more concerned about offensive or poor quality content on TV

17

73%

80%

80%

76%

83%

46%

57%

48%

46%

50%

Channel trust

Trustworthy news programmes

Programmes that show different cultures andopinions

Programmes that reflect the interests andconcerns of people like me

Provides high quality UK made childrensprogrammes

Importance rating: 10/9/8/7 PSB channels: 10/9/8/7

23%

32%

27%

30%

They also have concerns with public service broadcasting provision in the UK

33%

Importance of and satisfaction with PSB provision

18

12%

35% 35%42%

32%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Concerns about radio


• Poor quality content• too many ads• lack of originality• lack of quality

• Offensive content• bad language• shock tactics• drug references

Adults from ethnic minorities are more concerned about offensive or poor quality content on radio

19

63% 65%69%

64% 65%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Concerns about the internet


• Offensive content• sexual content/pornography• unsuitable for children

•Risk to security/finances• computer viruses/bugs• insecure websites• others getting my details

•Personal privacy• spam/unwanted emails• claims for money

Concerns about the internet cover a range of issues but are not significantly different from the rest of the UK

20

34%

57% 57% 57%48%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Concerns about mobile phones


• Affordability

Concerns about mobile phones tend to be around affordability

21

Key findings

• Ethnic minorities are at the forefront of media take-up and use

• The younger age profile of adults from ethnic minority groups explains some –but not all of this

• Ethnic minorities are more likely to download audio and video content but confidence in finding content online is lower than the UK average

• Concerns about media are significantly higher among ethnic minority groups than the UK average

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Ethnic Minorities: At the forefront of digital communications in the UK - Ofcom Report