In Czech republic was penetration of population by Internet 57% last year (2008), the chart under visualize proportion of positive response for question "Are you using Internet i.e. email, www or any other part of network (does not matter from home/work or any other place)?"
It mean, that little bit more than 40% of Czech population was last year still unconnected. The socioeconomic differences, gap between these two groups (connected/unconnected) are the factors of digital divide. It is the unequal access some part of society to information technologies and also the unequal ability to operate with them in other words the lack of necessary skills.
One of the main factor of digital divide is the age. The ability to accept new inventions a and learn new necessary skills is contingent on the age, education level, socioeconomically status... chart under visualize the age difference of users in Czech population last year.
So why 40% of people don´t use the Internet? the chart under visualize responses for question "what is the main reason, why you don't use the Internet?"
There is not just "hardware" digital divide - which is possible to over bridge by broaden broadband over whole Europe, according to EU "Broadband for all" policy. From the cart below is visible, that there is also quite big group of people, whose main problem is computer skills, and also part with financial problems. So I think, it is necessary to support creating free open source software from public fund - like solution of economical inequalities based digital divide (At all i think, that everything what is supported from public fund, by government, EU... should be published under CC licences and like free, open source software). The another important part of state policy should be well equipped public libraries and as much public Internet access points as possible (not just a WIFI, but also terminals for people without laptops). Of course at the same level of importance is the education. In Czech republic is the lessons of IT literacy in basic schools - but i think, that the conception is wrong. They just tutored us there how to use the applications of Microsoft office set (why not tutored Open office??). It just strengthen the monopole of this corporation and cause the economical based divide (not everyone has money to buy this software and not every one is able to pirate it). And even worse is, that this strengthen of position some corporation on the market is paid from public budget! WTF?! ("just" indirectly throw the school policy, of course).
used sources: Češky a Češi v kyberprostoru,Charles Univezity - Faculty of Social Science, Praha, November 2008, online
aktualization 1:
I found another article about digital divide in czech republic: The Deepening of the Digital Divide in the Czech Republic:
"According to the WIP CZ findings shown above, we assume that about four-fifths of nonusers are potential Internet users. The basic problems are lack of public access points or awareness of them, lack of digital skills, and low understanding of what is Internet use good for and what are its main assets."
And one more citation from the final conlusions: "...We have found persuasive evidence of the digital divide deepening in the Czech Republic...."
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