Aim of survey

The aim of this research - commissioned by BT, Orange, O2, Vodafone, Oftel (the former telecommunications regulator), DIEL and the Telecommunications Action Group - was to find out the text communication uses and preferences of people who cannot or prefer not to use voice telephones, and the limitations in present services so that these can be improved.

Key Findings

• Apart from letter-writing, the most commonly used forms of text communication for personal use were email and SMS (text messaging). Seventy-four per cent used email and 65% SMS (text messaging) while just over half (53%) used textphones.
  
• Over half of respondents who used email or SMS (text messaging) did this daily, and while most people write letters at some time, very few people do this daily.
  
• Asked "If you could have only one form of text communication what would it be?", 35% said SMS (text messaging), 32% email and 12% textphone.
  
• Women and older people made less use of alternatives to voice telephones than men and younger people and so must be considered at some disadvantage.
  
• While a half or more of people aged 70+ did use email or textphones, there was a small group of severely or profoundly deaf people in their late fifties upwards whose only means of text communication was letter-writing. Several indicated that they would like to use other means, but lacked the information to do so.
  
• Almost three-quarters (73%) of the sample had Internet access at home compared to 48% nationally in the third quarter of 2003, according to the National Statistics Omnibus survey (ONS, 2003). This is particularly high when the age composition of the sample is considered, Internet usage generally declining with age, suggesting that people who cannot or prefer not to use voice telephony have higher access than the general population.
  · Three-quarters (76%) of those who used SMS (text messaging) did so more often than a year ago, as did two-thirds of those using email, and over half (58%) of those using Instant Messaging. Use of faxing and letter-writing declined over this period.
  
• Generally respondents preferred methods of text communication available to all and not specifically targeted at those with a disability

Methods of recruitment of sample

In order to include people in different age groups, who became deaf or hard of hearing at different ages, and with different communication preferences, an extensive publicity and mailing was carried out between September and December 2003. This included press releases to deaf organisations and the general press, (both print press and electronic), mailings through deaf organisations, and to deaf schools and hearing impaired units in mainstream schools, audiology clinics, social services hearing impairment teams, and deaf clubs. It was also hoped to include people with severe speech or language impairments which would make use of voice telephony difficult and an article was written in the journal of a national charity supporting people with aphasia, and all regional centres of the Stroke Association were informed of the survey.

The questionnaire

A questionnaire was designed after extensive consultation with deaf organisations, including a focus group of deaf people. It was piloted, and circulated for comment to deaf people, the project Steering Group, and experts in text communication. It was offered as an ordinary or large print size postal questionnaire, an email or Braille questionnaire, and an interview in BSL was also available on request.

The sample

The report is based on 381 completed and usable questionnaires. Respondents covered a wide age range, from 15 (the starting age of the survey) to 91 and 45% were aged 60 or over; over 40% of respondents considered themselves to be profoundly deaf, and another 20% could hear sounds but not understand words. Severely and profoundly deaf people aged 60 or more were considerably under-represented. Hearing impairment had started for almost a third of the sample before the age of three, and for 21% from the age of 50 onwards. Female respondents (62%) outnumbered males (38%). Twenty-two per cent of respondents gave BSL/SSE as among their preferred methods of communication. The sample slightly under-represented people from minority ethnic groups in the population (6.6% compared with 7.9%). Forty per cent of respondents were retired, 33% were in employment, 9% were economically inactive because of illness or disability and 13% were full-time students (a high proportion due to a high response rate from deaf schools and hearing impaired units).

Detailed Findings
SMS (text messaging)¹
Respondents were asked to indicate their agreement or disagreement with a number of positive and negative statements about each method of text communication. There was generally agreement with all the positive statements about SMS (text messaging), 90 or a higher percentage agreeing that SMS was: 'good because you don't need special equipment for deaf people'; 'easy'; 'good because you can use it anywhere'. There was also agreement with most of the negative statements about SMS (text messaging), although it was less emphatic, with two-thirds to almost a half agreeing that ' only being able to send short messages; 'not being able to have a "live" conversation' , 'delay in receiving messages', and 'costs being too much to send many text messages' were problems. However, over half disagreed with the statement that it was a problem that the text was small and three-quarters that: 'I only use SMS (text messaging) when I'm on the move'.

Respondents were also asked, in open-ended questions, to state what they most liked, disliked and what would most improve each form of text communication, responses likely to indicate issues uppermost in their minds. Being 'easy', 'portable' and 'fast' were the most common likes for SMS (text messaging), while inputting problems headed the list of dislikes and of suggestions for improving this. Other main dislikes were cost, and not knowing whether a message had been received.

Respondents who did not use each form of text messaging were asked the reason for this. Over 40% gave not having a mobile as a reason, followed by 'not knowing how' and it being 'too fiddly'. Several people commented that they did not know how to choose a mobile.

Email²

There was again agreement with all the positive statements about emails: 'good because you don't need special equipment for deaf people'; and 'easy to use', having almost unanimous agreement. Other statements, that emails are: 'cheap'; 'good because you can change print size and colour'; and 'you get a quick reply' received agreement from over four-fifths to over half of the respondents. There was also support for the negative statements about emailing, particularly that not everyone has a way of receiving emails, and not being able to have a "live" conversation and 'you can get too many emails' endorsement varying from almost nine-tenths to just under two-thirds. Somewhat surprisingly, agreement with the statement about emails being good because you can change print size and colour decreased with age. Its usefulness is likely to increase with age as sight problems increase, and this suggests a lack of detailed knowledge of computing in older age groups.

As with SMS (text messaging) the chief spontaneous liking for emails was that they were 'easy'. 'Fast' was also in the top three for 'likes', with cheap, unlike for SMS, being in the top three but some way behind. Aspects not currently possible with SMS, unlimited text length and being able to send attachments, were quite often mentioned as 'likes'. Spam, technical/computing problems, and, as with SMS, not knowing whether a message had been received were the most common dislikes. Improvements most wanted were for these same aspects. Not having a computer/Internet access was a more important reason for not using, given by almost two-thirds of non-users, than not having a mobile, which is unsurprising given the difference in cost.

Faxing³

As with SMS and emailing, there was high agreement with the statement that faxing is 'easy', and also with the statement that 'faxes are good because you don't need special equipment for deaf people', although the endorsement in the latter case was not quite as high as for SMS and email. There was also high agreement with the statement that 'faxes are good for long messages'. A majority of respondents endorsed the negative statements about faxing: not being able to have a "live" conversation; companies not always responding to faxes and frustrations with transmission because of problems at the receiver's end, with greatest agreement by around three-quarters for 'not many of my friends of family have faxes'.

Being 'fast' was the top 'liking' in this case, with 'easy' not far behind, and being able to keep a copy/send diagrams coming next. The main dislike was transmission difficulties. Among the reasons for not faxing, not having a fax was of fairly similar order to not having a computer/Internet access, but 'others not having a fax' was in this case also a prominent reason.

Textphones⁴

There was again high agreement with the positive statements about textphones: 'it's a good way of communicating with deaf people'; 'you can have a "live" conversation' and 'it makes you independent'. Strikingly the most emphatic agreement with a negative statement was for : 'companies/organisations often don't know how to use a textphone', 92% agreeing with this. The other negative statements had endorsement from almost two-thirds to a half of respondents: not being able to get messages from mobiles; having to wait till the other person finishes typing; not always being able to tell if a textphone is working; only one or two lines of text being displayed. One negative statement, that the visual display is not very clear, was disagreed with by the majority of respondents. Textphones were used most by those in the 30-49 age group (by 70%), little by 15-18 year-olds, and by half or slightly more in the other age groups.

An important difference from the other means of text communication considered so far, was that 'easy' was a much less prominent reason for liking this. The major 'likes' spontaneously mentioned were 'independence' and the ability to have "live" conversations, the latter of course not being possible with these other forms. Dislikes were diverse, but included operating failures and difficulties, the difficulties and arduousness involved in typing, and the length of time this took, problems with companies receiving textphone calls, and problems with RNID Typetalk. Suggested improvements were also diverse, but better display/print and awareness of organisations and the public about textphones and how to use them were the most common.

Respondents who used RNID Typetalk⁵ were asked to indicate the extent of their agreement with statements about this. Again, there was high agreement with all the positive statements. Views were more mixed about the negative statements, with over half agreeing with the statement: 'Companies often won't accept Typetalk calls', but over a quarter not being sure about this. There were also mixed views about the statement 'it's annoying that another person has to be involved', with around two-fifths agreeing with the statement and a similar proportion not agreeing. Discontent on these two aspects of Typetalk decreased with age. There were many suggestions for improvement, including fewer connection failures, but the greatest need was for increased public awareness of Typetalk so that hearing people could accept calls more readily, and with greater understanding.

As with faxing, others not having a textphone was a common reason given for not having one. 'No need' was a more prominent reason than for non-use of SMS, email or fax. The proportions giving these reasons decreased with increased hearing impairment.

Instant Messaging⁶

While Instant Messaging was used by only a relatively small proportion of the sample, those who used it were generally enthusiastic about it. Statements that it was 'easy', and 'good because you can have a "live" conversation' had over 90% agreement, with lower agreement, but from around four-fifths to three-quarters, for statements that it was 'good because you can have a conversation with more than one person at the same time' , 'cheap', and 'good because you can change print size and colour'. Negative statements that it was a problem: 'You can only message with people who have the same provider' and 'not knowing whether people were online' were agreed with by two-thirds or slightly less. These were the also the two improvements most wanted. The most frequent liking was that "live" conversation was possible, followed by the two most common 'likes' for other forms of text communication, that it was 'easy' and 'fast'.

There was a great lack of knowledge about Instant Messaging among the sample, with 'don't know how/ don't understand' being given as a reason for non-use in almost two-thirds of cases, almost twice as many as gave this reason for any other form of text communication. However, many respondents expressed a wish for greater knowledge.

Letter-writing

Respondents were also asked, in open-ended questions, what they most liked and disliked about letter-writing. By far the most common liking, given by over half of respondents, was that it allowed the personal touch and expression of feelings. Dislikes were more diverse, with time taken - to write a letter, to get or receive a letter, or unspecified time factors - being most commonly given. Respondents were also asked a question not asked for other forms of text communication - in what circumstances they would write a letter rather than use another form of text communication? The most common replies, by around two- fifths of the sample in each case, were for formal, important, business situations, and for personal ones between friends. About one fifth gave communicating with people who had not got technical text communications, and a similar proportion gave special occasions, both joyful and misfortunes, as circumstances in which they would write a letter.

Text communication at work

Use of fax was much higher at work than for personal use, email somewhat higher and textphone slightly higher. Use of SMS was similar in the two situations. Instant messaging was used even less at work than for personal use.

Access to Work⁷

Just over half of respondents currently in paid work had obtained equipment through Access to Work. A third of these said that they had had problems with this. These fell into three main categories: delay; lack of awareness of the needs of deaf people; and attitudes of Access to Work staff. Nevertheless two-thirds said that they had no problems, so experiences were mixed.

General views of text communication
Respondents were given the opportunity at the end of the questionnaire to add any comments about text communication, and a number did so. Comments can very broadly be grouped into the following themes:

• expressions of gratitude that electronic text communication was possible nowadays
  
• a few calls for more technical development
  
• suggestions that text communication was too expensive and/or it should be available more cheaply for deaf people

O2

Postpay customer 0845 600 1168 or Textphone (Minicom) 0845 600 1169
Prepay customers 0845 600 4302 or Textphone (Minicom) 0845 600 4502 -
E-mail: disabilitycustomercare@o2.com

Footnotes

¹ SMS (text messaging) a method of sending a short written message from a mobile phone. This facility is also available from some fixed line phones and Internet Websites. This is a standard feature of digital mobile telephones.

² A method of sending an electronic letter from an internet-connected computer.

³ An electronic method of sending the image of a document via the telephone network. Special machines are required to send and receive faxes; alternatively it is possible to do this from a personal computer with fax software.

⁴Textphones (also known as minicoms) consist of a keyboard and a small display. They enable real-time text conversation oveer the telephone network.

⁵ RNID Typetalk is the national Relay service, providing speech-to-text and text-to-speech translation for Textphone users, and voice users who wish to communicate.

⁶ A method of having a live conversation through the real-time exchange of messages. This is done using instant messenger software such as MSN messenger or ICQ on an internet-connected computer.

⁷ A government-run scheme to provide extra supporrt and resources enabling disabled people to compete in the workplace on an equal basis.

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