The bar chart compares the percentage of people who used the internet for seven different purposes in a particular city in the UK in 2007 and 2009.
Overall, the proportion of internet users engaging in shopping, banking, chatting, video games and watching TV increased over the period, with the most notable growth seen in shopping and banking. By contrast, the percentages of users accessing the internet for educational purposes, such as reading books and learning, declined slightly.
In 2007, shopping was already one of the most common online activities, accounting for just over 40% of internet users. This figure rose markedly to around 55% in 2009, making it the most popular activity overall. A similar upward trend was observed in online banking, which increased from approximately 35% in 2007 to about 45% in 2009. The proportion of users who engaged in chatting also grew moderately, rising from around 25% to nearly 30%.
By contrast, the percentages of people using the internet to read books and for learning purposes both declined over the two-year period. The figure for reading books dropped from roughly 35% to about 30%, while the proportion related to learning decreased slightly from around 30% to just under that level. Meanwhile, playing video games and watching TV remained relatively less common activities, although both experienced modest increases, reaching approximately 20% and around 18% respectively by 2009.