Internet Access - Households and Individuals, 2020

Product Description

Internet access in Great Britain, including how many people have internet access, what they use it for and online shopping.

Main points

• In January to February 2020, 96% of households in Great Britain had internet access, up from 93% in 2019 and 57% in 2006 when comparable records began.
• Internet connections in households with one adult aged 65 years and over have increased by seven percentage points since 2019 to 80%; these households still had the lowest proportion of internet connections.
• In January to February 2020, 76% of adults in Great Britain used internet banking, increasing from 30% in 2007 and 73% in 2019.
• In January to February 2020, 87% of all adults shopped online within the last 12 months, up from 53% in 2008; those aged 65 years and over had the highest growth, rising from 16% to 65% over this period.
• The most common online purchase was for clothes, shoes and accessories, by 55% of adults, followed by deliveries from restaurants, fast-food chains or catering services, bought by 32% of adults.
• In January to February 2020, 49% of adults in Great Britain aged 25 to 34 years used a virtual assistant smart speaker or app, compared with 17% of those aged 65 years and over; 35% of all adults used these ‘internet of things’ devices.
• In January to February 2020, 18% of adults in Great Britain used internet-connected energy or lighting controls, with those aged 35 to 44 years using these most at 26%.
• Of those adults who have a smartphone for private use, 17% did not have security on their smartphone and a further 32% did not know whether they had security.