4 In 10 Britons Think The Internet Is A Threat To Knowledge

- Opinion in the UK is divided on whether or not progress in manufacturing and digital technology is a good or bad thing

As part of a major new exhibition about the future of manufacturing (The Future is Here, 24 July - 29 October), the Design Museum has carried out a survey with Ipsos MORI which reveals that just 6%, or one in 17 people in the UK, have an interest in owning a 3D printer. The large majority (71%) say they have heard not very much or nothing at all about 3D printing.

The poll, which interviewed 994 people across Great Britain, gives a snapshot of the nation's attitudes towards this emerging technology. It analyses views on the pace of change and pressures brought about by radical developments in technology that are putting the individual at the centre of the design and manufacturing industry.

The trend for custom made furniture and personalised trainers is making its way - via open source design files online and desktop 3D printers - into the home. But is this an invasion of technology, or is does it signal the advent of an age when the barriers of access to design and making will ebb away forever?

New manufacturing techniques will involve the users of products as never before, revolutionising the role of the consumer. How we manufacture, fund, distribute, and buy everything from cars to shoes is progressing fast. The Future is Here shows what that means for all of us.

Ben Page, Chief Executive of Ipsos MORI said: 'Britain is divided into two tribes - those concerned that new technologies like the internet are destroying memory and knowledge, and unhappy with their pace of life, and those who embrace it as a powerful enabler of knowledge and who are comfortable with their busy lives.'

Key findings of the poll:

3D PRINTING

How much we really know about 3D printing (the Design Museum exhibition aims to bring this technology to a wider audience)

- 71% of people say they know very little or nothing about 3D printers while one in five (19%) say they know at least a fair amount.
Is 3D printing the future of UK manufacturing - or just a fad?
- Only 6% of people say they are interested in owning a 3D printer, though this rose to 20% among those who know a great deal or a fair amount about 3D printers. This suggests that demand will rise if people become familiar with 3D printers and perhaps understand better how this emerging technology can be useful for them.
- Men are twice as likely as women to want a 3D printer (8% vs. 4%), and those aged 15-34 (9%) are more keen than those aged 65 and over (1%).
- Southerners are most interested (10%) in owning a 3D printer - but curiously Londoners were no different from the rest of the country (4%).

PACE OF LIFE

I wish I could slow down the pace of my life

- 38% of people say they wish they could slow down the pace of their life. People aged 35-54 want to slow down the most (47%).
- Northerners seem to be among the most averse to change, with 42% of those interviewed in the North wanting to slow down their pace of life, compared 33% of Londoners. People living in Scotland appear to be the least frightened by the pace of change, with just 26% wishing they could slow down.
- Having a high level of access to the internet did not seem to have any direct correlation with the desire to slow down.

Is the internet improving our knowledge or impeding it?

- Just over half (53%) think that people now know more than they used to thanks to the internet, while 37% believe that people know less now because they rely on the internet too much.
- 35-54 year olds were particularly likely (60%) to agree that people know more than they used to because the internet provides so much instant information. Those with access to the internet are also more likely than those who do not to agree that people know more thanks to the internet (56% and 39% respectively).

MAKE DO AND MEND

Throw it away or repair it?

- 3 out of 4 of us (75%) agree that people throw away too many things rather than get them repaired - 40% 'strongly agree'. The most likely to support a make do and mend approach are those aged 35 to 54, (81%), higher social grade AB (82%) and those with no access to internet (81%).
- A lower proportion of younger people aged 15-34 (64%) agree that we throw away too many things.
- Londoners (67%) are less likely to acknowledge we throw away too many objects rather than get them fixed - compared with 78% in the North and South (excluding London).

The future is being able to make everyday objects and spare parts for machines at home - even guns and knives

- The over 65s are especially likely to be concerned about the prospect of guns and knives being printed at home (40%).
- Around a third (35%) of people agree that it is a good thing people will be able to make everyday objects and spare parts at home - but an equal number (32%) are also concerned about people being able to make guns or knives at home.
- Men are more likely than women to think that manufacturing at home is a good thing (43% vs. 28%)
- 15-34 year olds are more positive (43%) about manufacturing objects from home, and this declines with age (22% among those aged 65+). The image of the old man tinkering in the shed could be a thing of the past as the YouTube generation gets interested in high tech manufacture from home.
- There's a clear regional divide. 40% in London and the South agree making everyday objects at home is a good thing, compared with around three in ten across the Midlands (31%), the North (34%) and Scotland (32%).

Should we leave the design of household items to the professionals?

- 2 in 3 people (66%) in the UK overall say that they would rather leave design issues to the professionals, though 30% of Londoners would like more input in the design of their household items (compared with 20% nationally and 15-22% in other regions).

Customised goods could be the answer to a more sustainable culture

- Around 35% agree that if consumer goods were customised they would be less likely to replace them as frequently.

THE FUTURE IS HERE: A NEW INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION (24 JULY 2013 - 29 OCTOBER 2013)
MEDIA VIEW: TUESDAY 23 JULY 2013 9AM

The Design Museum is collaborating with the UK's innovation agency, the Technology Strategy Board, to deliver a major new exhibition about the sweeping changes in manufacturing that are transforming our world.

New manufacturing techniques will involve the users of products as never before, revolutionising the role of the consumer. How we manufacture, fund, distribute, and buy everything from cars to shoes is progressing fast. The Future is Here shows what that means for all of us.

The boundaries between designer, maker and consumer are disappearing with a growing movement of 'hacktivists', who share and download digital designs online in order to customise them for new uses.
In a highly experimental move the museum will house the first 'Factory' of its kind where visitors can discover how 3D printing works and witness live production.

The exhibition looks at what exactly drives innovation and how it can lead to increased productivity and economic growth. A visit will reveal how the new industrial revolution has the potential to affect everyone, radically altering our attitudes to the pace of change driven by new technology.

Mass customisation is a central story: from trainer manufacturers offering personalised shoes on a global scale, to 3D printed dolls with features that consumers can design and order online. A carbon loom invented by Lexus to weave car parts such as steering wheels and dashboards from strong carbon fibre is represented, and other exhibits include an open-source approach to architecture, the WikiHouse.

Emerging technologies and platforms such as crowd funding, social networking digital looms, online marketplaces, 3D printing, nanotechnology, biotech, networked manufacturing, CNC [computer numerical controlled] routing and open-source micro computing, are all removing the barriers of access to manufacturing. It is the role of designers and the design process to participate in exciting new technologies, so that more people than ever before can take part in the production of our physical world.

The Future is Here presents today's emerging technologies that will become the growth sectors of tomorrow.

Deyan Sudjic, Director, Design Museum:
'200 years ago what happened in Lancashire's cotton mills and Cornwall's tin mines changed the world. Now it's the turn of Silicon Roundabout and the hacktivists.'

Universities and Science Minister David Willetts:
'The UK is home to some of the most innovative companies in the world, and their designs are essential to keeping the UK at the front of the global race for manufacturing. I have identified eight great technologies including robotics, regenerative medicine and advanced materials which I believe will play a role in boosting the UK economy. This exhibition provides an opportunity for visitors to see these ground-breaking technologies in action.'

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson:
'The latest Design Museum exhibition shows how manufacturing and the relationship between designer and customer could change in a very short space of time. Our city's future prosperity depends on the ability to stay at the forefront of innovation. With the most creative designers based here and a burgeoning technology sector, London is well-placed to maximise the potential of links between design and technology, which will become increasingly important as we compete on the global stage.'

Alex Newson, Curator, Design Museum:
'Will changes in traditional manufacturing cause a reversal of the traditional manufacturing powerbases? Small-scale makers and sellers have typically produced the type of objects that factories don't. But what if small companies, or even individuals, began making objects that were previously only viable, either technologically or economically, through mass-manufacture?'

David Bott, Director of Innovation Programmes at the Technology Strategy Board:
'The role of the Technology Strategy Board is to sponsor exciting and high-value business-led innovation in the UK and we're proud of the fact that over 60% of our R&D investment goes to small and medium sized companies, where so much innovation takes place. We're delighted to support this exhibition as both a wonderful showcase for innovative, disruptive technologies - many of which are already having a profound effect on our lives - and as a snapshot of some of the businesses we've supported on their journey to commercial success.'

- Ends -

Press enquires and interview requests:

Claire Thomas
PR and Public Affairs, Design Museum
T: 07877 651 976
E: clairethomaspr@gmail.com

Design Museum Press Office
T: 0207 940 8787
E: media@designmuseum.org

Notes to Editors:

Technical Details:

Ipsos MORI interviewed a nationally representative quota sample of 994 adults aged 15 and over across the Great Britain, interviews were conducted face-to-face between 21st and 27th June 2013. Results have been weighted to the known GB adult population profile.

Image Credits:

1. Prince Harry and the Prime Minister with their 3D printed Makidolls
2. Makidolls of Prince Harry and the Prime Minister
3. Formlabs 3D Printer
4. Swing Vote live Twitter poll by Pan Studio for Design Museum
5. Kuka Robotics

Exhibition Highlights:

The Future is Here Factory:
a small workshop area dedicated to digital fabricating projects, where technicians will be operating a small laser etcher or cutter and 3D printers. They will be producing various objects and projects for exhibition visitors to pick up and assemble. The Factory will also have a gallery area to display a range of products made during the weeks the exhibition is open. The Future is Here Factory is set to run a series of special events - regularly inviting established and emerging designers to spend a day using the Factory to work on new projects with the public.

Makiedolls:
action dolls designed by the consumer, who chooses the eyes, nose, jaw, smile, the hair, the clothes and the hands and feet. The dolls are 3D printed give a porcelain effect in a London lab, then posted in a cardboard tube. The inside is designed with space for owners to experiment with fitting LEDs, RFIDs and battery packs, voicechips, Bluetooth and Arduino. There is room in the neck for wires and in the back cavity for batteries. Hacking the design is encouraged by the manufacturer so that variations can be shared with other fans.

Crowd-sourced sofa:
Design Museum and MADE.com invited the public to design and vote for a new piece of furniture. The most popular piece, chosen through the use of crowdsourcing/ peer-production and social networks, will go into production, be sold on the MADE.com website and feature in the exhibition. An experiment in a democratic approach to design.

Micro community manufacturing:
Assemble and Join, funded by Lambeth Council, runs community workshops that re-imagine the role of the high street. Local residents, school children, shopkeepers, market traders and community groups have chance to collectively imagine, design and build changes to the public space to better suit their needs, as well as those of the community as a whole.

Biodegradable shoes:
the process of manufacturing Puma shoes made from materials that are durable yet compostable, breaking down into their original building blocks, showing what is possible if we apply the same high-tech approach used in manufacturing to 'unmaking' and 'remaking'.

Exhibition design:
The exhibition design is by dRMM Architects, drmm.co.uk, and the exhibition graphics by LucienneRoberts+

About the Design Museum:

The Design Museum is the world's leading museum devoted to architecture and industrial design. Founded in 1989 and currently located in Shad Thames, its work encompasses all elements of design, including product design, graphic design, and fashion. For the past 22 years, the museum has hosted exhibitions showcasing some of the most important pioneers of design including Paul Smith, Zaha Hadid, Jonathan Ive, and Dieter Rams. The Design Museum plans to relocate from its current home at Shad Thames to the former Commonwealth Institute building, in Kensington, West London. The project is expected to be completed by 2015. Leading designer John Pawson will convert the interior of the Commonwealth Institute building to create a new home for the Design Museum giving it three times more space in which to show a wider range of exhibitions, showcase its world class collection and extend its learning programme. For more information please visit: designmuseum.org

About the Technology Strategy Board:

The Technology Strategy Board is the UK's innovation agency. Its goal is to accelerate economic growth by stimulating and supporting business-led innovation. Sponsored by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), the Technology Strategy Board brings together business, research and the public sector, supporting and accelerating the development of innovative products and services to meet market needs, tackle major societal challenges and help build the future economy. For more information please visit: innovateuk.org.

Manufacturing: can the UK stay ahead?

- The UK is among the world's top 10 manufacturing economies. Manufacturing businesses employ 2.5m people in this country, contributing 10% of UK GVA and 54% of exports. The Technology Strategy Board helps UK manufacturers to remain competitive in the global market by shifting focus towards high-value, knowledge-rich products, processes and/or services.

- Strong industries in the UK such as aerospace and pharmaceuticals - and resurgent ones like automotive - all need the backing of a vigorous, innovative manufacturing sector. There are many 'high growth' opportunities here and overseas to exploit our 'high value' manufacturing capability. The Technology Strategy Board supports UK businesses targeting large and/or high-growth global markets and where UK R&D intensity is high.

- The key to generating wealth from manufacturing innovation is looking ahead 15-20 years, spotting the challenges and opportunities, and mapping those against the UK's current and emerging capabilities. The Technology Strategy Board has set out a clear path for UK manufacturing by identifying 22 national competencies and we will direct our investment in innovation towards these areas, which are most likely to yield economic growth for the UK.

- New business communities need encouragement to come together to develop innovative business models and value chains, offering novel ways of generating wealth for the UK. The Technology Strategy Board is investing with the research councils up to £10m in projects which explore new design freedoms in additive manufacturing (eg 3D printing). When combined with new developments in the digital area, they open up the possibility of secure distributed manufacturing of novel and complex components.

- In 2013/14 the Technology Strategy Board is focusing on five high value manufacturing areas where
there is strong potential for innovation to generate wealth - resource efficiency, manufacturing systems, integration of new materials with manufacturing technologies, manufacturing processes and manufacturing business models.

DESIGN MUSEUM, SHAD THAMES, LONDON SE1 2YD
OPENING: 10.00 -17.45 daily. Last admission: 17.15
Admissions: £11.75 Adults, £10.70 Concessions, £7.50 Students, under 12s Free.
PUBLIC INFORMATION T: 020 7940 8790 W: designmuseum.org #futureishere