Two in three young people are planning to move away from rural areas in the next 12 months, with 57 per cent concerned for a rural brain drain
There’s a looming countryside crisis as poor connectivity forces 4.6 million rural residents to consider moving to urban areas within the next year.
New leading research from Virgin Media O2 reveals that nearly half of rural residents (48 per cent) experience internet connectivity problems multiple times a week.
Poor connectivity has a huge impact on remote work, as 51 per cent say poor connectivity negatively impacts their ability to work from home, with 30 per cent unable to work remotely at all.
Two in three young people in rural areas are planning to move due to lack of career opportunities, poor access to services and inadequate connectivity.
Elizabeth Anderson, CEO, Digital Poverty Alliance comments: “Poor connectivity in rural areas is a daily struggle for people across the UK. While current investment in infrastructure has been somewhat effective, 19 million people are still stuck in the digital divide, so we must call on all sectors to implement better policies and rules to boost connectivity in these rural areas. Digital inclusivity is something which affects communities far and wide, and it’s down to government, private and public bodies to come together to raise awareness and invest in actionable changes to pull those out who are stuck in digital poverty.
If poor connectivity and lack of internet access are what’s pushing young people out of their communities, then it’s essential that change happens and it happens soon, as nobody should feel like they should have to leave their environment because of unreliable networks.”
Virgin Media O2 calls on the labour government to implement the Planning and Infrastructure Bill to facilitate faster mobile infrastructure deployment and improve funding and policies to support rural connectivity improvements.
VMO2 chief technology officer Jeanie York added: “Our research shows that poor connectivity is pushing Britain’s countryside into crisis. From deserted high streets to fewer job opportunities and issues accessing essential services, rural residents are telling us loud and clear that poor connectivity is hampering their daily lives.”
