Over 8 in 10 adults (82%) in Great Britain used the internet every day or almost every day, according to research. The study, from ONS, indicates a rise from 78% in 2015 and more than double the 35% reported in 2006, when directly comparable records were first collected. Overall 75% of adults used the internet […]
Over 8 in 10 adults (82%) in Great Britain used the internet every day or almost every day, according to research.
The study, from ONS, indicates a rise from 78% in 2015 and more than double the 35% reported in 2006, when directly comparable records were first collected.
Overall 75% of adults used the internet ‘on the go’ on a smartphone, portable computer or handheld device in 2016. However, this rose to 97% for those aged 16 to 24.
Use of social networking continued to grow with 63% of adults using social media platforms in 2016, up from 61% in 2015.
More than three quarters (77%) of adults had bought goods or services online, up slightly from 2015. Clothes and sports goods remained the most popular online purchases in 2016, bought by 54% of adults.
89% of households in Great Britain (23.7 million) had an internet connection in 2016, up from 86% in 2015. In households with children this rose to 99%, but was only 53% for pensioners living alone.
The vast majority of households with internet access had fixed broadband, such as DSL, cable or optical fibre (93%). 30% of households connected to the internet using mobile broadband via a mobile phone network.
Of the 11% of households in Great Britain with no internet access, 21% reported that this was due to a lack of skills. Further barriers reported included equipment costs being too high and access costs being too high (both 9%), while 59% of households without internet access reported that this was because they didn’t need it.
The full ‘Internet access in Great Britain: 2016’ statistical bulletin is available here.
