We are pleased to share a report published today, called Data Poverty in Scotland and Wales . The research is the first we are aware of that tries to understand the scale and depth of data poverty in Wales and Scotland.

Using a poll with a representative sample of 1000 people in each nation, our research has found that 1 in 7 people in Scotland are experiencing some kind of data poverty. For the purposes of this research, data poverty is defined as not being able to afford sufficient, private and secure mobile or broadband data to meet essential needs.

The report includes two case studies from people living in Scotland that have helped us understand the impact of data poverty on their lives. 

Key Findings

• 14% of adults in Scotland experience data poverty;
• That figure rises to 26% for adults with an income of less than £20,000;
• 51% of people say they don’t know how to shop around for the best data deals.

This report follows the publication of What is data poverty? in December 2020 from which the definition of data poverty used in this research was developed.

We would be grateful if you would share the report with anyone who you feel could benefit from having these statistics. 

If you have any feedback or comments on the research, please do get in touch.


Adam Lang
Head of Nesta in Scotland