Internet use
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- 1. Navigate to Main facts and figures section
- 2. Navigate toBy ethnicity section
- 3. Navigate toBy ethnicity and area section
- 4. Navigate toBy ethnicity and age group section
- 5. Navigate toBy ethnicity over time section
- 6. Navigate to Methodology section
- 7. Navigate to Data sources section
- 8. Navigate to Download the data section
1. Main facts and figures
- in 2019, 90.8% of people aged 16 and over had used the internet in the 3 months prior to being surveyed (making them ‘recent internet users’)
- the Indian and White ethnic groups had the lowest percentages of recent internet users (at 90.4% and 90.5%) and the Chinese ethnic group had the highest (98.6%)
- the only significant regional difference in internet use between ethnic groups was amongst Asian people in the West Midlands (86.8%) and the South East (97.4%)
- among people aged between 16 and 54 years, there were similar percentages of recent internet users in all ethnic groups (around 93% or more) – some differences emerged between ethnic groups for those aged 55 and over
Things you need to know
Results have been excluded (‘suppressed’) for ethnic groups, age groups, and regions where sample sizes were too small to generate reliable results.
For example, there were 22 respondents aged 75 or older in the Other ethnic group, which is too small a sample to produce a reliable estimate. The results for this age group were therefore excluded.
Even where results are given, the estimates of internet use for ethnic groups by region and by age are based on smaller sample sizes than the estimates for the UK population as a whole. For this reason, they are not reliable enough to draw firm conclusions.
The Office for National Statistics publishes the annual Internet access – households and individuals statistical bulletin, which provides more information than the Labour Force Survey on the range of activities carried out on the internet.
However, its estimates are less reliable because they are derived from the Opinion and Lifestyle Survey, which has a much smaller size than the Labour Force Survey. For this reason, you should avoid comparing the two.
What the data measures
This data measures the percentage of people aged 16 or older in the UK who are recent internet users.
Respondents are categorised as ‘recent’ if they have used the internet in the last 3 months.
Figures for the number of people using the internet recently are estimates (in thousands) based on the survey results and population estimates. The data comes from the Labour Force Survey.
The ethnic categories used in this data
Data for headline internet use by ethnicity only is broken down into 9 ethnic groups:
Asian:
- Bangladeshi
- Chinese
- Indian
- Pakistani
- Asian other
Black
Mixed
White
Other
Results for detailed ethnic groups is variable, therefore cannot be broken down by both detailed ethnic groups and another characteristic. Data for regional and age group analysis is categorised into the following 4 broad groups:
- Asian
- Black
- White (including White ethnic minorities)
- Other including Mixed
2. By ethnicity
| Ethnicity | % | estimated number (thousands) |
|---|---|---|
| All | 90.8 | 48,098 |
| Bangladeshi | 91.9 | 354 |
| Chinese | 98.6 | 265 |
| Indian | 90.4 | 1,077 |
| Pakistani | 91.1 | 767 |
| Asian other | 95.6 | 620 |
| Black | 92.8 | 1,376 |
| Mixed | 96.0 | 547 |
| White | 90.5 | 42,296 |
| Other | 94.5 | 796 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity’ (CSV)
Summary of Internet use By ethnicity Summary
This data shows that:
- 98.6% of Chinese people were recent internet users, the highest percentage of any ethnic group
- 90.5% of people in the White ethnic group and 90.4% of Indian people were recent internet users, the lowest percentages of any ethnic group
3. By ethnicity and area
| All | Asian | Black | White | Other including Mixed | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geography | All % | All Number (thousands) | Asian % | Asian Number (thousands) | Black % | Black Number (thousands) | White % | White Number (thousands) | Other inc Mixed % | Other inc Mixed Number (thousands) |
| UK | 90.8 | 48,098 | 92.4 | 3,083 | 92.8 | 1,376 | 90.5 | 42,296 | 95.1 | 1,343 |
| North East | 87.7 | 1,871 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 87.7 | 1,789 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable |
| North West | 90.0 | 5,198 | 89.9 | 295 | 97.6 | 92 | 89.8 | 4,694 | 94.6 | 117 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 89.8 | 3,908 | 89.0 | 225 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 89.6 | 3,542 | 97.8 | 94 |
| East Midlands | 89.9 | 3,439 | 88.3 | 215 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 89.9 | 3,092 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable |
| West Midlands | 88.7 | 4,125 | 86.8 | 424 | 96.1 | 170 | 88.4 | 3,419 | 94.5 | 112 |
| East of England | 92.0 | 4,552 | 95.1 | 186 | 100.0 | 80 | 91.6 | 4,204 | 98.8 | 82 |
| London | 93.0 | 6,571 | 94.7 | 1,118 | 88.9 | 701 | 93.3 | 4,195 | 93.3 | 557 |
| South East | 93.0 | 6,755 | 97.4 | 373 | 99.2 | 124 | 92.4 | 6,112 | 99.5 | 146 |
| South West | 92.3 | 4,165 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 92.0 | 4,014 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable |
| Wales | 89.6 | 2,264 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 89.5 | 2,171 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable |
| Scotland | 89.6 | 3,979 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 89.2 | 3,825 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable |
| Northern Ireland | 86.7 | 1,271 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 86.5 | 1,239 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity and area’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity and area’ (CSV)
Summary of Internet use By ethnicity and area Summary
This data shows that:
- in London, recent internet use was broadly similar for all ethnic groups, ranging from 88.9% to 94.7%
- Asian people in the South East were more likely than Asian people in West Midlands to have used the internet recently (97.4% compared to 86.8%)
- for some ethnic groups, regions and countries (particularly Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland, the South West and the North East) the number of respondents was too low to draw firm conclusions
4. By ethnicity and age group
| All | Asian | Black | White | Other including Mixed | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age Bracket | All % | All Number (thousands) | Asian % | Asian Number (thousands) | Black % | Black Number (thousands) | White % | White Number (thousands) | Other inc Mixed % | Other inc Mixed Number (thousands) |
| 16-24 | 99.2 | 6,873 | 99.4 | 602 | 98.5 | 270 | 99.2 | 5,681 | 99.1 | 321 |
| 25-34 | 99.4 | 8,889 | 99.1 | 735 | 99.6 | 303 | 99.4 | 7,495 | 99.2 | 357 |
| 35-44 | 98.9 | 8,238 | 98.4 | 864 | 98.0 | 290 | 99.1 | 6,767 | 96.4 | 317 |
| 45-54 | 97.5 | 8,801 | 94.3 | 510 | 96.0 | 271 | 97.9 | 7,811 | 93.0 | 209 |
| 55-64 | 93.2 | 7,490 | 83.6 | 231 | 94.5 | 179 | 93.5 | 6,976 | 95.2 | 105 |
| 65-74 | 83.2 | 5,336 | 64.8 | 99 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 83.8 | 5,176 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable |
| 75+ | 46.8 | 2,471 | 29.9 | 42 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 47.6 | 2,391 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity and age group’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity and age group’ (CSV)
Summary of Internet use By ethnicity and age group Summary
This data shows that:
- within every ethnic group, at least 98.5% of people aged 16 to 24 years old were recent internet users
- in every ethnic group, over 93.0% of people aged between 16 and 54 years were recent internet users
- White people were less likely than other ethnic groups to have recently used the internet, except amongst adults over 65 where Asians were less likely to have been recent internet users
5. By ethnicity over time
| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethnicity | 2017 % | 2017 Number (thousands) | 2018 % | 2018 Number (thousands) | 2019 % | 2019 Number (thousands) |
| All | 88.9 | 46,714 | 89.8 | 47,535 | 90.8 | 48,098 |
| Bangladeshi | 87.0 | 316 | 90.7 | 320 | 91.9 | 354 |
| Chinese | 98.3 | 275 | 97.6 | 303 | 98.6 | 265 |
| Indian | 90.6 | 1,094 | 92.7 | 1,087 | 90.4 | 1,077 |
| Pakistani | 90.3 | 759 | 92.8 | 779 | 91.1 | 767 |
| Asian other | 93.1 | 562 | 96.4 | 576 | 95.6 | 620 |
| Black | 92.1 | 1,394 | 91.2 | 1,352 | 92.8 | 1,376 |
| Mixed | 96.2 | 591 | 97.9 | 510 | 96.0 | 547 |
| White | 88.4 | 40,885 | 89.3 | 41,825 | 90.5 | 42,296 |
| Other | 94.1 | 838 | 95.4 | 784 | 94.5 | 796 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity over time’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity over time’ (CSV)
Summary of Internet use By ethnicity over time Summary
This data shows that:
- recent internet users from all ethnic groups increased slightly between 2017 and 2019
- recent internet use increased the most for Bangladeshi people, by 4.9 percentage points between the years 2017 and 2019
6. Methodology
The estimates are derived from the Labour Force Survey from the period January to March 2018, and are not seasonally adjusted.
The sample used for this data is made up of approximately 40,000 UK households and 100,000 individuals per quarter. The sampling frame used is the Postcode Address File and NHS communal accommodation.
Weighting
The Labour Force Survey uses calibration weighting. Weighting is used to adjust the results of a survey to make them representative of the population and improve their accuracy.
For example, a survey which contains 25% women and 75% men will not accurately reflect the views of the general population, which we know has an even 50/50 split.
Statisticians rebalance or ‘weight’ the survey results to more accurately represent the general population. This helps to make them more reliable. Survey weights are usually applied to make sure the survey sample has broadly the same gender, age, ethnic and geographic make up as the general population. The weights here are formed using a population weighting procedure which involves weighting data to sub-regional population estimates and then adjusting for the estimated age and sex composition by region.
Estimation to population totals and projections are based on the 2011 Census.
Suppression rules and disclosure control
Data was suppressed in groups with small sample sizes, because it is not possible to produce robust estimates with small sample sizes.
For example, in the 75+ age group in the Other including Mixed ethnic group, the sample size was only 22, which is too small to produce a reliable estimate. The results for this age group were therefore suppressed.
Statistical disclosure control methodology is applied to the Labour Force Survey data (the source for this data). This ensures that information attributable to an individual is not disclosed in any publication, and that confidentiality of respondents is protected in data sets.
As an example, the results for the 65 to 74 group in the Other including Mixed ethnic group were suppressed (it had a fairly small sample of 59). This was done to ensure that the results for the 75+ group in the Other including Mixed ethnic group could not be worked out by deduction.
The Code of Practice for Official Statistics, and specifically Principle 5, Confidentiality, sets out the principles for protecting data from being disclosed. The Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 includes data confidentiality regulations which apply to Office of National Statistics (ONS). More information about disclosure control on data tables and data sets is available on the ONS website.
Rounding
We round numbers, and for this reason some figures may not add up.
Related publications
Quality and methodology information
Further technical information
Further quality and methodology information, user guides and example questionnaires can be accessed on the ONS website
7. Data sources
Source
Internet users in the UK: 2020
Type of data
Survey data
Type of statistic
National Statistics
Publisher
Office for National Statistics
Publication frequency
Yearly
Purpose of data source
The primary purpose of the Labour Force Survey (LFS) is to provide good quality estimates each month for various aspects of the labour market. The LFS also allows users to see how these labour market measures change over time. The LFS also collects data on internet use.
8. Download the data
This file contains the following: measure, ethnicity, year, region, value, estimated number, confidence intervals (upper and lower bounds)