Internet use
Published
1. Main facts and figures
- in 2018, 90% of people aged 16 and over had used the internet in the 3 months before they were surveyed (making them ‘recent internet users’)
- the White ethnic group had the lowest percentage of recent internet users (at 89%)
- the Other ethnic group (including people with Mixed ethnicity) had the highest percentage of recent internet users (at 96%)
- there were only minor differences in internet use between regions and ethnic groups
- among people aged between 16 and 54 years, there were similar percentages of recent internet users in all ethnic groups (around 95% or more)
- there were some differences between ethnic groups among those aged 55 years 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 years 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 making comparisons between the two.
What the data measures
This data measures the percentage of people aged 16 years 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.
Counts of 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, part of which asks respondents about their internet use.
The ethnic categories used in this data
Although more detailed data exists for internet use analysed by ethnicity, results are variable and are not broken down further by age or region. Therefore, the data is categorised into the following 4 broad groups:
- Asian
- Black
- White (including White ethnic minorities)
- Other including Mixed
2. By ethnicity
| Ethnicity | % | No. of people (thousands) |
|---|---|---|
| All | 90 | 47,535 |
| Asian | 94 | 3,064 |
| Black | 91 | 1,352 |
| White | 89 | 41,825 |
| Other inc Mixed | 96 | 1,294 |
Summary
This data shows that:
- 96% of people in the Other ethnic group (including people with Mixed ethnicity) were recent internet users, the highest percentage of any ethnic group
- 89% of people in the White ethnic group were recent internet users, the lowest percentage of any ethnic group
3. By ethnicity and area
| All | Asian | Black | White | Other inc Mixed | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geography | % | No. of people (thousands) | % | No. of people (thousands) | % | No. of people (thousands) | % | No. of people (thousands) | % | No. of people (thousands) |
| UK | 90 | 47,535 | 94 | 3,064 | 91 | 1,352 | 89 | 41,825 | 96 | 1,294 |
| North East | 88 | 1,879 | 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 | 1,791 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable |
| North West | 89 | 5,140 | 93 | 264 | 94 | 90 | 89 | 4,682 | 96 | 104 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 88 | 3,831 | 91 | 242 | 91 | 50 | 87 | 3,465 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable |
| East Midlands | 88 | 3,372 | 89 | 184 | 96 | 92 | 88 | 3,031 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable |
| West Midlands | 89 | 4,102 | 94 | 422 | 87 | 145 | 88 | 3,443 | 98 | 92 |
| East of England | 91 | 4,482 | 96 | 170 | 89 | 81 | 90 | 4,146 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable |
| London | 93 | 6,578 | 93 | 1,171 | 90 | 702 | 93 | 4,154 | 95 | 551 |
| South East | 92 | 6,670 | 97 | 354 | 97 | 89 | 91 | 6,065 | 99 | 162 |
| South West | 90 | 4,035 | 97 | 79 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 90 | 3,851 | 92 | 65 |
| Wales | 89 | 2,247 | 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 | 2,169 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable |
| Scotland | 89 | 3,943 | 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 | 3,806 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable |
| Northern Ireland | 86 | 1,254 | 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 | 85 | 1,221 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable |
Summary
This data shows that:
- in London, recent internet use was broadly similar for all ethnic groups, ranging from 90% to 95%
- for some ethnic groups, regions and countries (particularly Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland and the North East) sample sizes were too small to draw firm conclusions
4. By ethnicity and age group
| All | Asian | Black | White | Other inc Mixed | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age Bracket | % | No. of people (thousands) | % | No. of people (thousands) | % | No. of people (thousands) | % | No. of people (thousands) | % | No. of people (thousands) |
| 16-24 | 99 | 6,991 | 100 | 623 | 97 | 260 | 99 | 5,805 | 100 | 303 |
| 25-34 | 99 | 8,888 | 99 | 826 | 98 | 280 | 99 | 7,476 | 98 | 305 |
| 35-44 | 99 | 8,139 | 97 | 783 | 97 | 302 | 99 | 6,742 | 97 | 312 |
| 45-54 | 97 | 8,809 | 95 | 476 | 96 | 301 | 97 | 7,824 | 98 | 207 |
| 55-64 | 92 | 7,185 | 84 | 240 | 90 | 162 | 92 | 6,678 | 90 | 104 |
| 65-74 | 80 | 5,261 | 63 | 77 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 81 | 5,105 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable |
| 75+ | 44 | 2,262 | 41 | 37 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | 44 | 2,195 | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable | withheld because a small sample size makes it unreliable |
Summary
This data shows that:
- within every ethnic group, at least 97% of people aged 16 to 24 years were recent internet users
- in every ethnic group, over 90% of people aged between 16 and 54 years were recent internet users
- although, overall, White people were less likely than other ethnic groups to have been recent internet users, this was not the case for older people – among adults aged 65 to 74 years, the White ethnic group had a larger proportion of internet users than the Asian ethnic group
5. Methodology
The estimates are derived from the LFS 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.
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
Internet access – households and individuals
Quality and methodology information
Further technical information
Further quality and methodology information, user guides and example questionnaires can be accessed on the ONS website
6. Data sources
Source
Internet users in the UK: 2018
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.
7. Download the data
This file contains the following: year, ethnicity, geography, age group, value, confidence Intervals, number