IntaPeople News
Regular internet usage among adults increases - 02/09/2010
The number of UK adults accessing the internet on a daily basis has increased to 30.1 million, according to new research from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This compares to a 2006 estimate of just 16.5 million.
One of the most popular online activities was shopping for goods or services, with 31 million adults making purchases in 2010.
Unsurprisingly, social networking has also proven to be a popular pastime. 43% of users were shown to have posted messages to blogs and social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter.
Despite heightened online activity, the study revealed that there are still 9.2 million adults that have not accessed the internet all year. The vast majority of these were aged 65 or over, compared to just 1 percent of those within the 16 – 24 age bracket.
The growing influence of online television services like the BBC iPlayer and Channel 4 On Demand was also reflected in the results. The ONS said:
“Watching television or listening to the radio over the Internet has been growing in popularity in recent years, with 17.4 million adults doing this in 2010, compared with 6.4 million in 2006.”
The report added: “When adults were asked why their household did not have an Internet connection, the most common response was that they didn’t need it, at 39 per cent, followed by 21 per cent who said a lack of skills prevented them from having the Internet.”