BC Council for Families

by Marilee Peters
Director of Communications, BC Council for Families

The Canadian Association of Family Resource Programs has just released a new report that reveals a high rate of internet use and sophistication among low-income families.

The report, Vulnerable Families as e-Consumers: current attitudes, behaviours and barriers to e-information, is based on a study of internet use among low-income two-parent families; low-income new immigrant families; and low-income female-led families. Participants in the study, who were recruited from Family Resource Programs in locations across Canada, including Fort St. John BC, were asked to complete a survey and take part in focus groups to discuss how they find, access, and use online information about product safety and family health issues. The average family net income of the participants was $23,000 per year.

The research revealed that home computer access is widespread among low-income families with young children, despite the heavy financial burden of internet access. 72% of two parent low-income families, 77% of new immigrant low-income families, and 79% of lone female-led low-income families had home internet access. Researchers found the participants were "sophisticated in how they search and seek out multiple sources to cross reference information", but noted that barriers to their use of online information did exist. Barriers included the limited time available to parents of young children for online research, a perception of the unreliability of online information, and the level of language competency needed to understand the information.

The study concludes that although a high percentage of the survey respondents are accessing online information, "many parents have difficulty interpreting what they find. The link from information to comprehension to action is a tenuous one and highlights the importance of critical literacy in today’s age of information." The researchers found that "Often parents get initial product safety information from the Internet and then vet the information they have collected with trusted personal sources" including family members or family resource program staff.

The researchers hope that results and recommendations from this project will be used for reviewing Canadian marketing practices and consumer protection policies in order to strengthen the engagement of vulnerable families as participating consumers.