The new Ofcom report is out, looking at adults’ media use and attitudes, drawing upon 12 years of research.
Some of the headlines from this year’s report include:
- Older people are embracing smart and social technology. Four in ten of those aged 65-74 (39%) are now using smartphones, while the number of over-75s using smartphones has nearly doubled, from 8% to 15%, as has the use of tablets among this age group, going from 15% to 27%.
- There is a continuing gap between confidence, knowledge and behaviour in understanding how the internet works. Although most internet users describe themselves as confident online (89%), only six in ten (58%) of search engine users correctly stated that some of the websites listed would be accurate or unbiased while others would not be and just under half of all adults do not know how search engines are funded (47%).
- Most internet users make some checks to judge the accuracy of factual information online, but three in ten (31%) of all users make no checks.
- While the majority (84%) of internet users are confident they can recognise advertising online, only half of search engine users could recognise adverts on Google.
- A third of internet users who make online purchases say they don’t check to see if the site is secure by looking for the padlock symbol or ‘https’ in the web address before entering their card details.
Also published:
- The 2016 Adults’ Media Lives report. This 12-year qualitative study tracks the evolution of individuals’ relationship with digital media, from use to understanding and concerns. Using a small sample of 19 people, this study it is intended to give a human face to the data and findings, providing an indicative sense of people’s media use and attitudes.
- The Internet Citizens Report draws on a range of quantitative sources to give an overview of people’s online use of services and content in various citizen-orientated areas.
