Study Reveals Which Regions of the UK are the Most Obsessed With the Internet

  Posted by: electime      15th February 2019

A new study released by leading price comparison website Compare the Market uncovers which regions of the UK are the most internet dependent. In the era of smartwatches, Snapchat and #selfie, it seems we are never too far away from our phones or without access to the internet. But which locations are the most addicted and in need of a digital detox? Compare the Market reveal all with this new study.

The UK is now officially a smartphone society according to a recent report by Ofcom, with people in the UK checking their smartphones on average every 12 minutes. Compare the Market conducted their internet usage study to reveal once and for all which regions of the UK are the most addicted to the internet.

Top Three Regions Spending the Most Time Online

To figure out which region spends the most amount of time on the internet, respondents were asked if they felt that they spent too much time online. Northern Ireland (58%), London (53%) and Scotland (52%) were the three top regions who admitted that they felt like they do.

East Anglia were the region who answered with the lowest figure with only 36% of the population here feeling that they spend too much of their time browsing the internet.

The Most Internet Dependant Region of the UK

How long do you think you could last without access to the internet? A week? A day? According to the study, 16% of people in Northern Ireland admit that one hour or less is the LONGEST they would be happy to go without internet access – the highest of all UK regions.

The survey also reveals that the South West, Scotland and West Midlands are all more obsessed with the internet than Londoners. 13% of the South West, 12% of Scotland and 11% of the population in the West Midlands also admit that one hour would be the maximum amount of time they would be willing to spend offline. In comparison, 10% of Londoners feel they need access to the internet within a one-hour timeframe.

Residents in the East Midlands are the most relaxed about their internet use with just 1% feeling that they need to connect to the internet within an hour.

The Most Internet Dependant Age Group

It might seem that the younger generation of Brits would be the most internet obsessed, but the study reveals that almost 60% of 25-34-year-olds admit they wouldn’t be able to go more than 24 hours without the internet – the highest of all age groups asked.

DAN HUTSON, HEAD OF PRODUCT – LIFE INSURANCE of Compare the Market comments:

“It was unexpected that Northern Ireland came out as the most internet obsessed region of the UK when we conducted the Always Online study, as most would assume that the capital would take the top spot – but with 16% of Northern Ireland respondents admitting that they can’t survive longer than one hour without access, they were a clear winner.”

“It seems a country-wide digital detox is in order with 46% of the UK thinking they spend too much of their time online and both the older and younger generations proving to be addicted to the online world. With half of 18-24-year-old Brits only willing to go one hour without the internet and a quarter of 45-54-year-olds using the internet whilst on holiday for work purposes, this suggests we really are a nation entranced by the internet.”

For more information on the most internet dependent regions, please visit Compare the Market.