Connecting Scotland — Devices, Data and Digital Champions for Digitally Excluded Households

Connecting Scotland, led by the Scottish Government with SCVO coordinating delivery partners, gave digitally excluded low-income households a device (iPad or Chromebook), connectivity and a named 'digital champion' for support. It began in 2020 for people shielding during COVID-19 and later phases targeted 60,000 households.
The Scottish Government's Phase 1 evaluation (published 26 May 2022) surveyed participants: 89% agreed internet access helped them cope with being at home, 86% reported better digital skills and about 74% better mental health. At baseline 64% said they could not use the internet or would need help.
The evaluation is candid about limits: results are self-reported, a telephone top-up survey with people who had never met a champion scored systematically lower (the main survey may be slightly biased positive), nearly 30% said they could not afford internet once support ends, and only 24% of the main sample met their champion regularly. Phase 2 findings flagged device adequacy and data limits.
Funding announcements describe £15 million for phase 2 (about 23,000 households) and a £26 million phase 3 targeting 60,000 households by end-2021.

Read the full analysis: https://www.gov.scot/publications/connecting-scotland-phase-1-evaluation/