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Publication - Statistics

Scottish Household Survey 2021 - telephone survey: key findings

Published
25 April 2023
From
Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, +36 more … Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs, Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands, Chief Social Researcher, Chief Statistician, Director of Communications and Ministerial Support, Director for Constitution, Director of Covid Recovery and Public Service Reform, Director of Culture and Major Events, Director of Digital, Director of Energy and Climate Change, Director of Environment and Forestry, Director of Equality, Inclusion and Human Rights, Director of Healthcare Quality and Improvement, Director of Justice, Director of Learning, Director of Local Government and Housing, Director of Safer Communities, Director of Tackling Child Poverty and Social Justice, Director-General Communities, Director-General Corporate, Director-General Economy, Director-General Education and Justice, Director-General Health and Social Care, Director-General Net Zero, Director-General Strategy and External Affairs, Minister for Children, Young People and Keeping the Promise, Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development, Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity, Minister for Housing, Minister for Local Government Empowerment and Planning, Minister for Parliamentary Business, Minister for Public Health and Women's Health, Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants' Rights
Directorate
Tackling Child Poverty and Social Justice Directorate, +15 more … Communications and Ministerial Support Directorate, Constitution Directorate, Public Service Reform Directorate, Culture and Major Events Directorate, Digital Directorate, Early Learning and Childcare Directorate, Energy and Climate Change Directorate, Environment and Forestry Directorate, Equality, Inclusion and Human Rights Directorate, Healthcare Quality and Improvement Directorate, Justice Directorate, Learning Directorate, Local Government and Housing Directorate, Population Health Directorate, Safer Communities Directorate
Part of
Arts, culture and sport, Children and families, Communities and third sector, +9 more … Cost of living crisis, Environment and climate change, Equality and rights, Health and social care, Housing, Law and order, Money and tax, Public sector, Transport
ISBN
9781805257059

A summary of the key findings from the Scottish Household Survey 2021 telephone survey.

This document is part of a collection

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4. Internet

Internet access

The proportion of households in Scotland with internet access was higher in 2021 (96%) than in 2020 (93%). Household internet access increased with net annual household income (Table 4.1). Home internet access for households with a net annual income of between £6,001 and £10,000 was 81% in 2021, compared with 100% of households with a net annual income of over £40,000. Access differed by area of deprivation (Table 4.2): 93% of households in the 20% most deprived Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) areas in Scotland had internet access at home compared with 99% of households in the 20% least deprived areas. Internet access also varied by tenure (Table 4.3): 88% of those in social rented housing had internet access compared with 98% of households who owned their home.

Internet use

More than 9 in 10 adults (95%) in Scotland use the internet either for work or personal use, an increase from 92% in 2020. Notably, there has been a significant increase in internet use amongst older adults (Table 4.6), with 91% of those aged between 60 and 74, and 71% of those aged 75 and over, now using the internet. There are lower rates of internet use among older adults than among younger adults. In 2021, 100% of adults aged 16-24 reported using the internet compared to 71% of those aged 75+. The percentage of adults who do not use the internet was higher for those living in the 20% most deprived areas than for those in the 20% least deprived areas in Scotland (Table 4.9). Internet use also increased with income (Table 4.8).

Where and how users access the internet

Almost all (99%) adults who use the internet access it at home, followed by 73% who access the internet on the move using a mobile phone or tablet (Table 4.11). The proportion of internet users reporting that they access the internet using a smartphone increased from 86% in 2020 to 89% in 2021 (Table 4.12), which was greater than the proportion who accessed the internet using a PC or laptop (76%). Younger internet users were more likely to access the internet using a smartphone than older users, with 98% of 16-24 year olds using smartphones compared with 48% of adults aged 75+. Older internet users were more likely than younger users to use a tablet to access the internet. Of those who do not use the internet for personal use, the most common reason that could convince people to go online was keeping in touch with family and friends at no extra cost, however this was only reported by 7% of this group, with 90% saying none of the reasons provided could convince them to use the internet (Table 4.18).

Online safety and security

The most common online security measures taken by adults who make use of the internet were avoiding opening emails or attachments from unknown people (85%) and avoiding giving personal information online (83%). A higher proportion of internet users who were older (Table 4.19) answered that they adopted none of the online security measures mentioned.

Contact

Email: shs@gov.scot

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