Ethnic minorities are more likely to use their home computers and the internet for educational purposes, compared to their white neighbours, according to a survey of disadvantaged neighbourhoods carried out for the Department for Education and Skills.

Researchers from the Universities of Warwick and Leeds found that 73% of ethnic minority people use home computers for educational purposes, compared to 61% of white people. White people were found to be more likely to use their computer for leisure and entertainment, at 68%, compared to half of ethnic minority people.

Only 31% of Afro Caribbean people surveyed were found to own a PC. In contrast 37% of white respondents had home access, while South Asians topped the table at 42%.

Despite this high rate of computer ownership, South Asians were the least likely to have experience of the internet, at 38%. In this area Chinese and other respondents were most prolific, at 61%, followed White and African Caribbean people. The researchers found that South Asians were also tailing behind in use of public internet access facilities.

There was also a huge discrepancy in the use of computers to buy goods and services, with only 25% of ethnic minorities surveyed exploiting their computers for this purpose compared to 42% of white respondents. A similar trend was observed in the use of computers to access government services.

Despite all these differences, the researchers found that level of computing skills were relatively uniform across the groups. Just under two thirds of people from all groups reported they have non-existent or beginners computing skills. Here age is a far better predictor, with computer familiarity and use declining sharply with increasing age.

The survey of 1500 households was conducted in deprived areas with a high concentration of ethnic minority groups, in inner and outer London, Birmingham, Leeds, Bradford, Cardiff and Glasgow.