Almost half of all adults in the UK have accessed the internet at some time, according to the latest quarterly survey from the Office of National Statistics. A total 45% – or 20.4m adults – have logged on at least once, although those embracing the new technology are increasingly male and from the professional classes.
A total 52% of all men have used the internet, according to the survey, compared to just 39% of women. And amongst professional households, 66% had logged on, compared to just 20% of unskilled households.
Despite the increase in overall users since the last quarter, there is still a majority of adults in the UK (55%) who have never accessed the internet. Over half of these (52%) express no interest in the new technology; 24% gave not having a computer as a reason for not using the internet; 15% said they did not have the confidence or skills to use it.
Despite a forecasted increase in the number of so-called ‘silver surfers’, the likelihood of using the internet decreases with age: 69% of 16-24 year olds had logged on, compared to just 6% of over 75s. Two thirds of internet users are between 16 and 44 years old.
The choice of digital platforms has yet to affect the majority of internet users; most people use PCs to access the internet, with only 1% using digital TV and less than 1% using mobile phones. The choice of activity provided by the web is also not being utilised with one-third of net users, excluding those using it for work purposes, logging on mostly or exclusively to send and receive emails.
Seven in ten adults had used the internet to find information about goods and services, however, and 28% reported using the internet to buy such products.
