The availability and use of media information sources in rural areas
2018
Jaska, E., Warsaw Univ. of Life Sciences (Poland). Faculty of Economics | Werenowska, A., Warsaw Univ. of Life Sciences (Poland). Faculty of Economics
This paper explores the availability and use of media information sources in rural areas. The theoretical part compares the content delivered by traditional media to the one delivered by new media. The empirical part provides analysis of data from years 2013− 2017 provided by the Central Statistical Office (GUS), which show changes in the availability and use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in Poland by household, with particular focus on rural areas. Additionally, the paper presents the findings of the study Polish Rural Areas and Agriculture (Polska Wies i Rolnictwo) carried out for the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and subordinate institutions, including: Agency for Restructuring and Modernization of Agriculture (ARiMR), Agricultural Market Agency (ARR), Rural Property Agency (ANR) and Agricultural Social Insurance Fund (KRUS). The study was conducted in years 2014−2016 and involved a survey research of rural residents, including farmers. Part of the study focused on media information sources. The paper uses a descriptive method, and detailed data is presented in a tabular format. The analysis demonstrates that there is less availability and use of new ICT in rural areas compared to Poland’s average, but these differences are gradually decreasing. In particular, a high growth rate was recorded in the category of household access to broadband Internet, the number of farmers and rural residents regularly using the Internet increased and so did number of rural residents using social networking sites. The awareness of the role of competences necessary to use new technologies is also growing. However, rural residents and farmers are still less likely to use e-government services. Farmers still consider television to be the main source of information on available EU funds for the development of agriculture and rural areas; although they also hold the opinion that the Internet should be used more widely.
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