UK homes see internet as vital for their social lives - study

Half of all UK households believe that the internet is fundamental to their social lives, up from 46 percent in 2016, according to the latest digital home report from EY. The report is based on a survey of 2,500 UK consumers in August 2017. 

The report shows that the internet has blurred the boundaries between home and work, with 45 percent of households saying the internet is very important for working from home or running a business from home, up from 41 percent in 2016. It shows that 42 percent of respondents spend 1-20 hours a week online, with 39 percent spending 21-40 hours and 19 percent spending over 40 hours online. Over half (56%) of respondents said that some households members spend more time online than watching TV, up from 49 percent in 2016. 

Tablets and smartphones are changing the way homes consume content, with more people using mobile devices as their primary home internet device. One quarter (25%) of people now use smartphones or tablets as their main internet device, up from 16 percent in 2016. The report shows that multi-tasking, not portability, is the main driver for using mobile devices to get online. Being able to use mobile devices while doing something else was the top factor chosen by 59 percent of homes that use them as their main device. 

The survey also found that over three quarters (77%) of households now regard broadband as a utility like gas or electricity, with 60 percent of consumers rating reliability as more important than broadband speed. It also shows that more homes are taking a more functional attitude towards using the internet with 23 percent saying they only go online for a specific reason, up from 20 percent in 2016.