While the number of internet users in the UK has sharply increased in the last quarter, the number of Briton who have never used
internet is still staggering. According to a report released by Office for National Statistics, about eight million adults have never used internet. However, in the second quarter of 2011, about 300,000 Britons tried internet for the first time in their life. Out of these users, 164,000 are aged 75 or above. Britain now has 41.6 million adult internet users.
The report delves into the reasons behind these numbers. The figures are particularly disappointing as government and the industry is doing its best to provide universal internet coverage. The main factors affecting internet usage are age, income and connectivity. Internet is most popular in 16-24 years age demography. 98.6 percent people in this age group have online presence, while 72.4 percent of adults over 75 years of age have never used internet.
Income is another factor, as 1.4 million adults earning over £1,000 per week have all used the internet, while adults earning less than £300 per week constitute 13.5 percent of the population which has never used the internet. According to Martha Lane Fox of Race Online 2012, "We are happy to see an improvement in offline figures released today, but I believe they reinforce the need for the UK to prioritise the education, accessibility and engagement of IT with its offline citizens." Amen to that.