According to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and Eurostat, 48% of UK citizens used social media websites like Facebook and Twitter on a daily basis last year. The statistics office interviewed around 2,010 adults in the UK between January and March and found that UK users are amongst the most active in Europe when it comes to social networking.
The survey also showed that 57% of adults in the UK had used social media websites in the three-month period prior to the survey. With this result, the United Kingdom ranked second as the most active country in Europe in terms of social network usage, right behind the Netherlands (at 65%), and above the European Union average of 40%.
Last year, 62% of adults in the 35-44 age group and 40% of those aged between 45 and 54 used social networks to communicate online. The survey also found that 90% of those aged between 16 and 24 access social media on a regular basis and this age group is the most active amongst the participants in the survey. Furthermore, the statistics office revealed that the use of social network sites amongst older citizens in the 65-74 age group had seen a major increase, with around 20% now using them against 10% in February.
When it comes to the use of social networks on mobile devices, excluding tablets, the UK was placed second last year, just after Sweden, with 40% of adults accessing them via mobile. Adult Britons using the Internet every day soared to 33 million in 2012 from 16 million in 2006, ONS reported.