82 percent of Brits use the internet every day

Adults in Great Britain are using the internet more than ever before according to new figures released by the government's Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The internet was used daily or almost daily by 82 percent of adults (41.8 million) in Britain in 2016, up from 78 percent (39.3 million) in 2015 and 35 percent (16.2 million) in 2006 when statistics were first collected.

Mobile internet use is up too, overall 75 percent of adults used the web 'on the go' on a smartphone, portable computer or hand held device in 2016. This figure is much higher at 97 percent for those aged 16 to 24.

89 percent of households in Britain (23.7 million) had an internet connection in 2016, up from 86 percent in 2015. In households with children this rises to 99 percent. Older generations are missing out though, the connection figure is only 53 percent for pensioners living alone.

"Regular internet use continues to rise, with more than 8 in 10 people going online almost every day in 2016," says Kate Davies of the ONS's Surveys and Economic Indicators Division. "However, many older people are still to catch up with the digital revolution, with nearly half of single pensioners still having no internet access at all".

So what are we using all this access for? Use of social networking is still growing with 63 percent of adults using social media platforms in 2016, up from 61 percent in 2015. Shopping is popular too with 77 percent of adults having bought goods or services online, up slightly from 2015. Clothes and sports goods are the most popular online purchases in 2016, bought by 54 percent of adults.

Broadband, such as DSL, cable or optical fiber is now overwhelmingly the connection method of choice at 93 percent of connected households. 30 percent of households connect to the internet using mobile broadband via a mobile phone network.

Of the 11 percent of households in Britain with no internet access, 21 percent say that this is due to a lack of skills. Further barriers reported included equipment costs being too high and access costs being too high (both at nine percent). The benefits of the online world are still a mystery to some it seems, as 59 percent of households without internet access say that this is because they don't need it.

There’s much more detailed information in the full report which you can view on the ONS website.

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