WIREDGOV

In 2031, the UK will once again count itself. The census will measure who we are, where we live and our living conditions.

As part of Mission 5 of the Digital Poverty Alliance’s National Delivery and Advocacy Plan, we stated that we would advocate for two questions on digital poverty in the 2031 Census. To action this, we have recently taken part in the Census 2031 consultation, making a clear recommendation: that digital access should be measured as part of housing data.

We have proposed the inclusion of two specific household-level questions within the housing section:

• Does your household have access to broadband? Is this broadband connected to Wi-Fi?
• Does your household have access to a keyboard-based device such as a desktop computer, laptop or tablet with a keyboard? If yes, how many such devices are in the household?

These are deliberately practical questions. They focus on the infrastructure of connection within the home, asking whether the essential foundations of participation are present.

Why broadband and Wi-Fi? Because broadband does not guarantee Wi-Fi, and mobile-only access is often unstable, rationed and insufficient for sustained online engagement. Why a keyboard-based device? Many essential digital tasks, such as applying for jobs, completing forms, engaging with school platforms and participating in remote work, are not realistically manageable on a small touchscreen alone. Meaningful digital participation depends on both connectivity and functional hardware.

We have also argued that this data must be collected at the household level and be available across national, regional and small geographies. Our work is rooted in place-based digital inclusion. We support local authorities, housing associations and the devolved nations to develop targeted, community-based interventions. Small-area census data allows us to identify where infrastructure gaps cluster and where community-based responses are most urgently required.

Crucially, we have recommended that these housing questions be analysed alongside income data. Low income remains the strongest predictor of digital poverty. For that reason, we have supported the inclusion of household income data in Census 2031 and set out how it should be used in combination with broadband and device questions. Together, these variables would allow direct mapping of where poverty and digital exclusion overlap, rather than relying on basic and often poor assumptions.

We have been clear that alternative datasets, while valuable, are not sufficient. Current national statistics often rely on questions such as whether someone has been online in the last three months. Activity-based questions allow people to fall through the cracks. They can obscure households that are intermittently connected, reliant on public Wi-Fi or sharing a single inadequate device among multiple family members. The census offers something different: representative, standardised, longitudinal and nationally comparable data.

We have also set out the consequences of omission. Without inclusion in Census 2031, digital poverty will remain statistically fragmented. Evidence will continue to be drawn from inconsistent sources with varying definitions and limited reach. That weakens national benchmarking, making it harder to evaluate schemes and limiting our ability to sustain national focus on digital inclusion.