The bar chart illustrates how Internet use by five age groups in the UK changed between 2003 and 2006 by age.
Overall, the figures for all these ages increased over time, though to varying degrees. It is also clear that the youngest cohort was the most active users of the internet, whereas the reverse was true for the elderly.
The proportions of Internet users in the first three groups were significantly higher. Adolescents aged 16-24 dominated the chart, with an initial 80%. This grew to reach an all-time high of 100% in 2005, but the figure experienced a substantial drop a year later, falling to around 90 %. Similarly, the percentage of 25-44 and 45-54-year-olds using the Web on a daily basis grew consistently, from 50% and 60% respectively to exactly 80% each.
In contrast, the other two age brackets in the survey exhibited much smaller percentages of everyday Internet users. Initially, roughly a third of those aged between 55 and 64 used the Internet every day. Although this figure did not show any significant variations in the first two years, it rose to around half in the final year. Having started the period with 0%, the figure for elderly was by far the lowest. Despite a considerable increase in 2004 to nearly 15%, this group’s figure remained fairly low, never exceeding the 20% mark.