Ofcom Report on Adults & Media Use 23.04.13

Ofcom Report: Adults: media use and attitudes
 
Ofcom’s Adults: media use and attitudes report is now published. It provides a rich overview of media use, attitudes and understanding among UK adults aged 16+.
 
Key findings include -

Over half of UK adults use the same password to access internet sites
More than half (55%) of adult internet users admit they use the same password for most, if not all, websites.
 
Around one quarter (26%) say they tend to use easy to remember passwords such as birthdays or names, potentially opening themselves up to the threat of account hacking.
 
Remembering passwords also remains a challenge for some, with a quarter (25%) of adult internet users reporting they have problems doing so.
 
Older users driving increase in social networking
Over a third (35%) of 55 to 64 year-old internet users now have a social networking profile – up by half in just one year (24% in 2011).
 
A quarter (25%) of internet users aged 65 and over also say they have a profile. The increase means that overall about two thirds (64%) of all adult internet users say they have a social networking presence, up from 59% in 2011.
 
Increase in time spent online, despite one in five visiting fewer than 5 websites a week
Our research shows that internet usage has continued to grow, with the average adult internet user estimating they now spend almost 17 hours online every week (16.8 hours a week, up from 15.1 in 2011).
 
The average adult internet user claims to visit 19 different websites in a typical week, with men visiting more sites than women on average (24 vs 14). However, despite the increasing length of time spent online, over a fifth (22%) of adults say they visit fewer than five websites in a typical week.