UK much keener on social networking than other Europeans
A new study from communications watchdog Ofcom has revealed that people in the UK are much ‘keener on online networking’ than other Europeans. More adults in the UK use social networking sites such as Facebook than in other European countries, says the second annual International Communications Market report.
Four out of 10 UK adults with internet access use social networking sites compared to 17% in France, 12% in Germany and 22% in Italy. UK adults who visit the sites spend an average of 5.3 hours each month on them and return to them an average 23 times in the month.
In the UK as many women use the internet as men: indeed, in the 18-34 age group women spend more time online than men.
It is also reported that the UK enjoys some of the cheapest deals for telephone, pay-TV and broadband. Over half of all UK households were connected to broadband at the end of 2006, putting the UK slightly ahead of the US for the first time.
Advertisers in the UK spend more money per person on internet advertising than any other country, at £33. This is twice as much as France, Germany and Italy combined. At 14 per cent of total revenues, spend in the UK on online advertising overtook magazine advertising for the first time and was more than the total spend on outdoor, cinema, and radio advertising combined.
More from Ofcom’s press release with a link to the full report.