Internet Access GB 2011
Internet Access – Households and Individuals, 2011
This is a report from Office for National Statistics – released on 31st August 2011
Key points
• 45 per cent of Internet users used a mobile phone to connect to the Internet
• 6 million people accessed the Internet over their mobile phone for the first time in the previous 12 months
• The use of wireless hotspots almost doubled in the last 12 months to 4.9 million users
• 21 per cent of Internet users did not believe their skills were sufficient to protect their personal data
• 77 per cent of households had Internet access
Summary
This release looks at how individuals access the Internet and why. It will be useful for those interested in the Internet and how its use is changing how people live, and communicate.
For example, this bulletin contains information on the extent to which young people communicate via social networking.
There have been significant changes in the way people connect to the Internet in recent years.
In 2011 almost half of Internet users connected to the Internet, using a mobile phone, while away from the home or office.
There were 17.6 million mobile phone Internet users in 2011, representing 45 per cent of Internet users, compared to 8.5 million users (23 per cent) in 2009.
The use of wireless (wi-fi) hotspots also increased markedly with 4.9 million people using hotspots at hotels, restaurants, airports etc, compared to 0.7 million people in 2007.
Mobile Internet Connections
There was significant growth in the adoption of mobile Internet technology over the previous 12 months, with an extra 6 million people using their mobile phone to access the Internet than reported in 2010. The rate of growth in the use of this technology was fastest among those aged 16 to 24, with Internet use over a mobile phone increasing from 44 per cent to 71 per cent over the previous 12 months.
However, there have been notable increases across all age groups. Since 2009, when the measurement of mobile phone Internet use in this survey began, the number
of women using mobile phones to access the Internet has more than doubled, from 18 per cent of Internet users to 39 per cent in 2011.
Mobile Internet use via a laptop, tablet or other portable computer also proved popular in 2011, with 38 per cent of Internet users using these mobile devices away from the home or workplace.
Wireless Hotspots
There has been significant growth in the use of wireless (wi-fi) hotspots across Great Britain. In 2011, 4.9 million people, or 13 per cent of Internet users, connected to wireless hotspots provided at restaurants, cafes, hotels, airports etc. The wide availability of these hotspots has encouraged large growth in use over recent years with a seven fold increase since the 2007 estimate of 0.7 million people.
Internet Activities
Social networking proved to be the most popular activity among 16 to 24-year-old Internet users in 2011, with 91 per cent saying they took part in social networking on websites such as Facebook or Twitter. However, this was not an activity limited to the younger age groups, with almost one fifth (18 per cent) of Internet users aged 65 and over indicating that they participated in social networking.
Overall, social networking was more popular among women, at 60 per cent, than men, at 54 per cent.
Men were more likely to participate in professional networking over sites such as LinkedIn in 2011, with 16 per cent of male Internet users having used this online facility compared to just 9 per cent of women. It was most popular among those aged 25 to 34, with 18 per cent using these sites.
Using the Internet to sell goods or services, for example via auction sites such as eBay, saw large growth in 2011. Over 12 million people, at 31 per cent of Internet users, sold goods or services online, compared to 7.9 million (21 per cent) in 2010. Just under half of those aged 25 to 34 (45 per cent) used the Internet for this activity.
Just over one in five (21 per cent) Internet users made telephone or video calls online in 2011.
This activity is one which is not dominated by a specific age group, with older age groups showing similar patterns of use to the younger age groups. Of those aged 65 and over, 17 per cent used this technology, compared to 22 per cent of those under 24.
Internet Purchasing
In 2011, 32 million people (66 per cent of all adults) purchased goods or services over the Internet. This was an increase from 62 per cent in 2010.
Clothes/sporting goods were the most popular online purchase in 2011, with 46 per cent of Internet users buying these items.
Half of female Internet users (50 per cent) purchased clothes/sporting goods online in 2011, the most popular purchase by women by some margin.
While clothes/sporting goods were also the most popular purchase by men, at 43 per cent of Internet users, this was closely followed by films/music at 40 per cent.
Those aged 65 and over were the only age group not to report clothes/sporting goods as the most popular purchase. Instead, 29 per cent of Internet users in this age group favoured the online purchase of ‘other travel arrangements’ which includes flights, car hire and other transport tickets.
Holiday accommodation was also popular, with over a quarter (26 per cent) of this group using the Internet to book this.
Downloads
While downloading (or accessing via websites) continued to increase in 2011 with regard to both films/music and books/reading material, it was notable that the increase was driven by the older age groups. Of those people aged 65 and over who purchased films/music, 34 per cent downloaded the product compared to 20 per cent in 2010. There was also an increase among the oldest age group downloading books or reading material, at 23 per cent compared to 15 per cent in 2010.
Public Authorities
In 2011, almost a third of Internet users obtained information from public authorities’ websites, at 32 per cent. Over a quarter of Internet users (27 per cent) submitted official forms electronically.
Internet skills
While many Internet users store and share personal data, one in five Internet users (21 per cent) said that their current Internet or computer skills were not sufficient to protect their personal data. A similar proportion (19 per cent) said that their skills were not sufficient to prevent a computer virus.
Household Internet Access
In 2011, 19 million households in Great Britain had an Internet connection. This represented 77 per cent of households, up from 73 per cent in 2010.
Despite the growth in household Internet connections over recent years, there were still 5.7 million households which were without an Internet connection. Some householders suggested that specific barriers were preventing them from investing in a household Internet connection; for example 19 per cent indicated that equipment costs were too high, while 21 per cent stated that lack of skills prevented them from getting the Internet. However, half of those without a household Internet connection said they didn’t have one because they “don’t need the Internet”.
Broadband has now almost entirely replaced dial-up Internet, with 93 per cent of Internet connected households using broadband compared with 84 per cent in 2007. Just 2 per cent of connected households used dial-up, compared with 16 per cent in 2007. The remainder used only a mobile Internet connection.
