Home Internet Usage Still Growing

Almost half of all UK households now have access to the internet, according to the Q3 Expenditure and Food Survey from the Office of National Statistics (ONS).

The number of online homes increased by approximately 300,000 in the three months to September 30 and now stands at 11.4 million, equivalent to 46% of all UK households. The study also found that 62% of respondents had accessed the internet at least once and 52% had done so in the month prior to the survey. This represents an increase of 6% on the figure recorded three months earlier.

Despite efforts by the Government to make the internet more widely available, regional and income-related disparities remain. In the past year, 50% of homes in London and the South East have had access to the web compared to just 30% in Northern Ireland and 31% in Wales. The most poorly represented area in England is the West Midlands where just 34% of households have internet access. The survey also found that 82% of homes in the highest income bracket are online compared to just one in ten of those in the lowest income group.

According to the study, two-thirds of UK males have now used the internet compared to 58% of women. Young people remain the most enthusiastic users of the web with 94% of 16-24 year olds claiming to have accessed the medium but growth is occurring across the age spectrum and almost half of those in the 55-64 age group have been online at least once.

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