Spanning a 7-year timeframe, from 2001 to 2008, the bar chart shows changes in the proportion of families having different objects in Britain.
In terms of the overall ownership patterns, while virtually all categories witnessed upward trajectories,the opposite was true for telephone throughout the period in question. Of particular note is the mobile phone, which was the object that experienced the fastest rise in growth rates among other items.
If we look at digital item percentages, mobile phones, home computers, and internet usage experienced a dramatic rise from over 20%, 30%, and just 10% to nearly 80%, approximately 70% for the rest, respectively, over an eight-year period.
In addition the proportion of dishwasher and CD player usage saw a slight increase from 20% to 40% in the last year. But the percentage of microwaves and clothes dryers increased only by 10%, to 90% in 2008.
By contrast,the percentage of telephone usage witnessed a gradual decrease, which was the peak level of the percentage of household items in the initial year. It decreased to just 90% in the final year.