- Finding a new partner, dealing with cancer and discovering you are adopted are just some of the life changing benefits of using the internet
- 84% of Brits use the internet to manage their finances
- However, 77% of us dread having to use the internet in some way
- British adults spend over 30 hours a week on the internet, though this time falls to 23 hours with the over 55s
The weird, wonderful and wondrous internet
Across the United Kingdom, the weird, wonderful and wondrous internet has regularly changed people’s lives in some amazing ways.
Recent research from pension provider Phoenix has revealed that the internet is a vital source for connecting people and finding loved ones around the world, with 16% using it to find a new partner, and 8% to find a long lost family member. The internet has also proved popular with 13% of Brits who have used it as a source of information to treat a serious illness or to significantly improve their health or fitness.
Furthermore, a huge 84% of Brits use the internet to manage their finances in some way – this figure rises to 89% among the 18-34 age category, while it falls to 78% among the over 55s. The most popular finances that people are managing online are banking (74%), credit card management (41%) and paying bills (35%).
Respondents were also asked to describe the amazing and life changing things that they have found on the internet, the results of which include:
- Access to knowledge
- Advice
- Aliens exist
- Allowed me to explore my sexuality and come to terms with who I am
- Connection with people from across the globe
- Controlling my finances
- Crazy cat ladies website
- Discovered I was adopted
- Online shopping
- The ability to learn new languages
- The ability to make money
Andy Moss, Chief Executive at Phoenix Life comments:
“The internet has always been a powerful information tool, yet today it is being utilised more often to carry out personal business and transactions, where to communicate with friends, find your dream house, improve your health and fitness or to carry out financial transactions. The internet’s ease of accessibility and as our research shows, life-changing nature for millions of people, speaks for itself.”
The frustrations
Although for many the internet is a positive force, there are still concerns for users, with over three quarters (77%) dreading using the internet in some way. Half of Brits (47%) dread having to changetheir passwords because they’ve forgotten it, while a further three in ten (31%) dread having to provide personal information/financial information online. In line with this, a quarter (25%) admit to sometimes finding the internet difficult to use, while 43% say they rarely find this to be the case, and 28% claim to face no difficulty.
The biggest concern with using the internet is online hacking (41%), rising to 52% of those aged 55+. This is followed by 34% of British adults having frustrations dealing with pop ups or links that take them away from the information they were viewing while 32% find it’s hard to tell which sources are legitimate and which are false.
Mr. Moss further comments:
“The internet plays an amazing and life changing role for many people regardless of age. While there are still frustrations with it, the stereotype that people over 55 are too old to be tech savvy is completely false. If anything, we have seen that the over 55 age group are very experienced with using the internet and are just as involved in utilising it for personal reasons as their younger counterparts, with the continued development of online services.”
Connectivity
The research also looked at the connectivity of people, and found that more than 99% of us use the internet on a regular basis, and that on average we have been doing so for the last 13 years.
Interestingly, the research reveals that British adults spend an average of 4 hours per day using the internet on both weekdays and weekend, totalling 30 hours a week. The younger generation of 18-34 year olds are spending an average of 39 hours a week on the internet, while those aged 55+ spend 23 hours per week.
This internet savvy age group buck the stereotype that the older generation are not technologically aware, given they not only have a lengthy experience of the internet, but only 10% of over 55s find the vast internet difficult to navigate.
The top things Brits use the internet for include:
- Personal email (88%)
- Searching for information (78%)
- Reading the news (66%)
- Social media such as Facebook and Twitter (63%)
Click here for Phoenix’s dos and don’ts for internet browsing safety.
-Ends-
Enquiries
For more information, please call:
Shellie Wells
Head of Corporate Communications
Phoenix Group
020 3735 0922 / 07872 414 137
shellie.wells@thephoenixgroup.com
Leonie Furman
Lansons
020 7294 3649
leonief@lansons.com
Notes to editors
Research carried out by Opinium between 23rd and 26th June 2017.
| Connecting people online | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Region | Found a new partner or long lost family member | Found a dream job,holiday or house | Found a way to treat an illness or significantly improve health/fitness |
| North East | 30% | 40% | 11% |
| North West | 24% | 36% | 14% |
| Yorks & Humber | 16% | 39% | 11% |
| East Midlands | 37% | 34% | 11% |
| West Midlands | 19% | 30% | 12% |
| East of England | 20% | 31% | 10% |
| London | 39% | 58% | 24% |
| South East | 19% | 34% | 12% |
| South West | 22% | 25% | 15% |
| Wales | 18% | 27% | 8% |
| Scotland | 19% | 28% | 6% |
| Northern Ireland | 16% | 27% | 7 |
About the Phoenix Group
Phoenix Group is the UK’s largest specialist consolidator of closed life funds with over 6.1 million policyholders and £76 billion of assets held by the Group’s life companies, including the acquired Abbey Life, AXA Wealth and SunLife businesses. The Group employs around 1,300 people split across the Group, with around 600 based at Wythall, its main operating centre.