Online Usage Round-Up Q3 2008
Internet users have grown by over 2 million people in the past year, according to data released by research company BMRB. According to figures for the third quarter of 2008, the YOY change for this period is 7.2%. While more of us continue to go online for the first time, it appears that takeup is slowing down, as internet penetration grows across the UK. The availability of high-speed broadband, virtually anywhere in the country, is making it possible for everyone across the UK to access the internet.
Internet Users By Location
The home continues to be by far the most popular place to access the internet. It is also the quickest growing location with a YOY rise of 8.7%, meaning that 31.3 million people now have the ability to log on at home. Work users now stand at 11 million people, up 6.1% YOY. Academic use fell by 8000 users since Q2 2008, with the third quarter being a traditionally quiet time for scholarly pursuits.
| Internet Users By Location | |||||
| (millions) | 3rd Qtr 06 | 3rd Qtr 07 | 3rd Qtr 08 | YoY % Change Q306 – Q307 | YoY % Change Q307 – Q308 |
| All users | 28.342 | 30.566 | 32.754 | 7.8 | 7.2 |
| Work users | 9.958 | 10.463 | 11.097 | 5.1 | 6.1 |
| Home users | 26.427 | 28.822 | 31.337 | 9.1 | 8.7 |
| Academic users | 2.681 | 2.713 | 2.738 | 1.2 | 0.9 |
Internet Users By Gender
The gap between men and women continues to diminish with both groups growing in numbers by just over 1 million since the same period in 2007. However, it seems that women are struggling to catch-up after the head start their male counterparts had with early online adoption. Despite this though, the margin continues to narrow. In Q3 2006 there was a 1.7 million gap between the genders, which only stands at 1.3 now, so as slow as it is, progress is being made.
| Internet Users By Gender | |||||
| (millions) | 3rd Qtr 06 | 3rd Qtr 07 | 3rd Qtr 08 | YoY % Change Q306 – Q307 | YoY % Change Q307 – Q308 |
| Male | 15.02 | 15.89 | 17.03 | 5.8 | 7.2 |
| Female | 13.32 | 14.67 | 15.721 | 10.1 | 7.2 |
Internet Users by Age
The growth among the ‘silver surfers’ continues at an impressive pace, with the 65+ age bracket showing a YOY growth of 22.4%. Just below them, the 55-64 year olds also show an increase among their technological savvy ranks with a 16% YOY rise. The other age brackets are reporting quite similar growth, around the 7% mark, suggesting that these age groups have reached full penetration.
| Internet Users By Age | |||||
| (millions) | 3rd Qtr 06 | 3rd Qtr 07 | 3rd Qtr 08 | YoY % Change Q306 – Q307 | YoY % Change Q307 – Q308 |
| 15-24 | 5.95 | 6.11 | 6.55 | 2.7 | 7.2 |
| 25-34 | 5.66 | 6.11 | 6.55 | 8.0 | 7.2 |
| 35-44 | 6.51 | 7.03 | 7.53 | 8.0 | 7.2 |
| 45-54 | 4.81 | 5.20 | 5.57 | 8.1 | 7.1 |
| 55-64 | 3.40 | 3.67 | 4.26 | 7.9 | 16.0 |
| 65+ | 1.98 | 2.14 | 2.62 | 8.1 | 22.4 |
Internet Users by Social Grade
Continuing the trend over the last few years, lower social grades continue to grow at a much faster rate than their more affluent counterparts. This is mainly a result of affordable communication packages offered by the main communication suppliers. At the top end of the scale, the AB grades have a YOY increase of 3.8%. In recent times the C2 & DE’s have continued growing, with 12.7% and 13.4% YOY rise in numbers respectively.
| Internet Users By Social Grade | |||||
| (millions) | 3rd Qtr 06 | 3rd Qtr 07 | 3rd Qtr 08 | YoY % Change Q306 – Q307 | YoY % Change Q307 – Q308 |
| AB | 9.06 | 9.78 | 10.153 | 7.9 | 3.8 |
| C1 | 9.35 | 10.09 | 10.481 | 7.9 | 3.9 |
| C2 | 5.38 | 5.81 | 6.55 | 8.0 | 12.7 |
| DE | 4.53 | 5.2 | 5.895 | 14.8 | 13.4 |
BMRB: www.bmrb.co.uk