UK - 16% of adults have never used the Internet, a substantial decline from 2011 and 2010

The Office of National Statistics (ONS) has published its latest data on Internet access. The key points are:

• At 2012 Q2, 7.82 million adults (16 per cent) had never used the Internet. This is 4 per cent lower than 2012 Q1 and 10 per cent lower than 2011 Q2
• There were 42.52 million adults (84 per cent) who had ever used the Internet at 2012 Q2
• Men (87 per cent) were more likely to be Internet users than women (82 per cent)
• By region, the South East and London had the highest rate of Internet users (88 per cent); Northern Ireland the lowest (77 per cent)

Those who have not used the Internet are predominantly older adults, especially those over 75.

For Scotland, the percentage of Internet users rose from 81.1 to 83.1, between Q2 of 2011 and 2012, putting it ahead of NE England, Yorkshire, W Midlands, N Ireland and Wales. The UK figures for the same period were 82.3 and 84.3.