Last week, the UK communications regulator, Ofcom, released the 2023 edition of its annual Online Nation report [pdf, 4.3MB].
The report is described as “an overview of the UK online landscape in 2023, exploring children’s and adults’ use of and experiences on online services.”
Online Nation represents a snapshot of UK online use from May 2023 and compares trends to data collected in May 2022 (previous years reports are also available from Ofcom).
47.9 million UK adults accessed the internet on smartphones, tablets and computers in May 2023, spending an average of 3 hours 41 minutes a day online, eight minutes more than in May 2022. Young adults continue to spend the most time online, with 18-24-year-olds spending a daily average of 4 hours 36 minutes, and the 65+ group spending the least time (2 hours 46 minutes).
I am always interested in broadband adoption data. The latest Ofcom report shows that 93% of UK individuals over the age of 16 have home internet. Of those without home internet, “a perceived lack of need or interest” was the top reason expressed by nearly two thirds (65%). Cost related reasons were given by a quarter of the respondents. This aligns with similar findings from Pew for the United States. That price isn’t the biggest inhibitor for broadband adoption in Canada was the subject of a blog post of mine in 2021.
Adoption rates vary by age, with 18% of those aged 65 or older without home internet, but only 2% of those aged 25-34. Only 2% of households with children reported not having home internet. Of the 7% of UK residents over the age of 16 without home internet, 71% said they were unlikely to get internet in the next 12 months.
According to Statistics Canada, 94% of Canadian households had home internet in 2022. (The Statistics Canada Telecommunications portal has other useful links)
The report is 106 pages with a wealth of information. In addition, Ofcom has an interactive version of the data.
Early in 2023, I wrote, “Hopefully, 2023 will begin to bring better research into understanding those factors inhibiting broadband adoption among different groups in order to develop appropriate responses.”
It remains fertile ground for academic research in the year ahead.