Oxford Internet survey 2009 report: the Internet in Britain

• William H. Dutton, Ellen J. Helsper, Monica Gerber
• Oxford Internet Institute

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25 June 2009This survey suggests proportion of Britons reading online news has doubled in two years but also reveals why some people are saying 'No thanks' to Digital Britain.     

A new survey into how British people are using the Internet in 2009 suggests that the proportion of people reading online newspapers has doubled since 2007. The Oxford Internet Survey 2009 (OxIS), carried out by the Oxford Internet Institute at Oxford University, shows that nearly six out of ten (58%) Internet users said they read a newspaper or news online, compared to three out of ten (30%) two years ago. The survey also shows, however, that most users are continuing to read print versions of newspapers as well as reading online news.

One of the main challenges in creating a Digital Britain will be to change the perceptions of the third of the British population who choose not to use the Internet, according to the latest in a series of Oxford University surveys. The Oxford Internet Survey (OxIS) 2009, published 22nd June, shows that while most British Internet users (84%) are extremely confident about using new technology and see the Internet as central to many activities, over half of non-users of the Internet (57%) now distrust new technology more than they did before.