More Than A Quarter Of UK Adults Are Now Regular Net Users

An in-depth study into the internet habits of adults in Britain has revealed that 27% of the population are now regular users of the net. The study, conducted by CommerceNet and Nielsen Media Research, has been sponsored by some of Britain’s leading companies and aims to give a definitive account of web usage.

It has found that amongst regular users 44% log on every day, 38% are women and 11% are over 50 years old. Most people (75%) use the net for work-related activity while a large amount (69%) check travel destinations on the net or sports and entertainment news (60%). Just over a quarter (27%) have used the internet to buy goods online, although a higher proportion (49%) have compared prices on the web.

Jerome Samson, director of technology and business strategy at Nielsen Media Research, said that British people were taking to e-commerce much more rapidly than the Americans: “Online consumers in the UK today are reaping the benefits of a more mature industry and seem to face a faster learning curve. This level of e-commerce adoption is extremely encouraging for its development worldwide.”

Managing director of CommerceNet Neil Ellul was surprised by some of the results of the survey. “The fact that 27% of the UK population is now online will send an encouraging message to all those involved in building ecommerce businesses. However we also found that 1.6 million people have still not even heard of the internet,” he said. He called for further education and awareness to fill this gap.

CommerceNet: 0171 916 2875 … http://www.commercenet.org.uk/