Community preferences for digital futures: regional perspectives

Community preferences for digital futures: regional perspectives

The purpose of the study was to understand community preferences for digital futures in the Southern Downs Region in Queensland, Australia. This study examined the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the digital future in the regional context. The methodology applied in this study included three focus group discussions (FGDs) along with a structured questionnaire survey for the participants. Some key suggestions which evolved from the FGDs are that digital services need to be cost-effective and people from low socio-economic backgrounds may require specific supportive measures. A consensus emerged that the provision of this vital digital education needs to be at low or subsidised cost at remote areas. It is therefore important to have a comprehensive understanding of community needs, demands and barriers to adoption to come up with a digital economy strategy for the future. While the FGDs provide an avenue for basic understanding of the broad range of issues at the community level, further micro-level analyses that shed light on the adoption and effects of digital technology on households and businesses are clearly warranted.

© 2013 by the University of Southern Queensland.
The views and interpretations expressed in these reports are those of the authors and should not be attributed to the organisations associated with the project. They should not be reproduced in part or whole without the written authorisation of the Project Leader, Dr Khorshed Alam.