Net usage among over-75s growing: Study

New Delhi: Internet usage among people aged 75 or above has been increasing since 2011, a study by UK’s Office for National Statistics shows. Net usage among women of the same age group has grown by 169%CV since 2011. The study also found out that net usage is not consistent among them and 5% of them have stopped going online in early 2016.

The ONS bulletin on net use in the first three months of 2016 revealed that 91% of people living in London went online regularly. By contrast, in Northern Ireland only 82% of people are regular users of online sites and services.

Pete Lee, from the ONS’s surveys and economic division, said the statistics revealed some significant changes in usage and exposed those sectors of the population where net use remained low or patchy. “While we have seen a notable increase in internet usage across all groups in recent years, many older and disabled people are still not online,” said Mr Lee.

It also revealed that 25% of disabled people have yet to use the net – a figure campaigners called “shocking”.