Implications for Nova Scotia
GEO was thrilled to host Professor Simeon Yates from the University of Liverpool, and Dr. Chloe Blackwell and Katherine Hill from Loughborough University as guest speakers for our Insight Forum on January 22nd. They shared their groundbreaking research on the Minimum Digital Living Standard (MDLS), which outlines what individuals and families need in order to thrive in today’s digital society.
The first part of the definition of a Minimal Digital Living Standard aligns with GEO’s definition of digital inclusion: it includes having accessible Internet, adequate equipment, and the skills and knowledge people need. The MDLS goes further though; it is also about being able to communicate, connect, and engage with opportunities safely and with confidence. And for families to feel digitally included, we have to consider:
- what devices and internet services a household needs to take part in society
- what skills they need for practical tasks and digital safety
- how needs change with family size and school stages
- what else they need if they are facing challenges (e.g., living in poverty, lack of housing, disability)
Would we want a Minimal Digital Living Standard for Nova Scotia? Why or why not? How could it be useful? How might we define it for Nova Scotia?
I think it could be interesting to explore the idea of incorporating a Minimal Digital Living Standard into the Market Basket Measure for Nova Scotia. The MBM is the cost of a specific basket of goods and services (e.g., specified qualities and quantities of food, clothing, shelter, transportation and other necessities) for a family of four, and it is adjusted for different geographic areas, population sizes, and provinces across Canada. Anyone with a disposable income below this threshold is considered to be living in poverty. What if digital access were included in the MBM as a necessity?
Our UK colleagues This slide shows the methods they used to define the minimum standard; they conducted:
- a pilot study of 207 households with children
- a UK-wide survey with a representative sample of 1,582 households
- an analysis of the survey findings given social, economic, cultural and digital data about local areas
- focus groups to gain perspective of minimum standards vis-a-vis disability, ethnicity, rural living, poverty, and housing
- extra focus groups and interviews with families and members of the public in Wales (which funded additional work to establish an MDLS)
How would we develop a Minimum Digital Living Standard for Nova Scotia? Who would we need to talk with? What information do we already have that could be useful? How would we consider intersectionality in the definition?
Please let us know what you think! We look forward to your observations, comments, and questions.
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