Faster internet speed linked to lower civic participation, claims study

Researchers from Cardiff University and the Sapienza University of Rome have claimed that people’s political activism seems to be inversely proportional to their speed of internet connection. According to their research, published in the Journal of Public Economics, the faster someone’s internet speed is, the less likely they are to be involved in their communities through volunteering, politics, or other forms of civic engagement. 

“We observed that civic participation and the form of engagement in the activities of voluntary organisations and political participation declined with proximity to the network,” said Fabio Sabatini, a co-author of the study, said as quoted by The Guardian. 

The researchers concluded that faster internet access has significantly weakened civic participation, especially in Britain. For example, according to their study, participation in political parties fell by 19% every 1.8 kilometres closer the person lived to a local telecommunications exchange centre, giving them faster internet access. Similarly, volunteering in social care also fell 10% among people enjoying fast internet. 

The researchers used information from the communications regulator, Ofcom, on exchange centres and various internet speeds. They then cross-referenced the data with answers given in the British Household Panel Survey and the UK Household Longitudinal Study on peoples’ civic engagement. They found that there was an overall 6% reduction in such social participation from 2010 to 2017 for every 1.8 kilometres a person was to their local exchange. 

Lack of public engagement could be linked to rising of populism

According to the study, political party involvement took the biggest hit, however, most of the areas saw a significant effect. Involvement in trade unions dipped by 3.6%. Volunteering with organisations offering social and environmental services dipped 7.8%. Fabio Sabatini concluded in the study that the UK’s lack of public engagement could be directly linked to the rise of populism in its politics. 

“The rise of populism has been linked to a decline in interest in public affairs and we thought that being less politically and socially active, people may be less capable of interpreting political phenomena and understanding the complexity of the management of public affairs,” the researcher claimed, as quoted by The Guardian. 

The researchers also concluded that the speed of one’s internet access does not significantly affect their personal engagement with family and friends. It suggests that this “seems resilient to technological change”.

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