Britain Becomes A Nation Of Technophiles
Britain's attitude towards an electronic society and mobility has changed dramatically in the last year according to the 1998 Motorola British and Technology report, released today. The number of people wanting to access community information electronically has doubled to 70% and the number wanting to vote on line has increased by a third to 50%. More than one third of us want to shop on line, an increase of 30% on last year, and regular web usage has also increased by 20%. Perhaps surprisingly, one in twenty Britons now claim to have used the Internet to make international telephone calls.
Britain is demanding both greater access to information and increased mobility and is using technology to get it. Over 80% of Britain's mobile phone owners use the phone to sort out personal problems on the fly and almost 90% say their phones give greater personal safety and peace of mind for the safety of loved ones when away from home.
Our thirst for technology is not limited to public services, which we traditionally think of as bureaucratic. 55% of the survey's respondents say that they are keen on electronic banking and over 40% would like to access travel timetables and purchase travel tickets electronically. Britain's penchant for shopping has moved into the electronic world with 36% wanting to buy goods on line.
The idea of smart cards, computers embedded on credit cards, is becoming popular with half of us thinking our driver's license, identity card and medical records could easily be contained on a smartcard. Last year, only a third of us were keen on this idea.
For the British and Technology report, commissioned by Motorola and now in its fourth year, 1000 adults and 347 children were interviewed by MORI. The research looks at people's attitudes towards technology, and it demonstrates that Britain is becoming a nation demanding mobility. The survey also looks at both adults and children's views on the Internet, PCs, digital TV and smart-cards and on the electronic society, work, socialising and working practices.
Both at work and play we are using technology to give us freedom to live our lives on the move. 42% of mobile phone owners say they could not do without their mobiles for personal use, while one in four respondents has a PC in the home. At work, almost 70% of regular computer users say they cannot do without their PCs and half of the mobile phone users cannot do without their phones.
"We are definitely moving towards a more mature electronic society," comments Mark Durrant, corporate communications manager for Motorola Ltd. "Technology is becoming crucial in our work and social lives. Many of us are unable and unwilling to go back to the days when all the technologies we now take for granted, such as mobile phones, powerful PCs, pagers, game consoles and the Internet, were few and far between. We are starting to enjoy the freedom and ease of information access that technology brings."
One of the oldest electronic information services, Teletext, is the most popular with 45% of respondents regularly using it. In general, the attitude towards technology is positive, with more than half of the respondents feeling that IT helps them to be more effective in work and 45% stated IT improves their productivity. Mobile phones are also helping us work more effectively with 48% saying mobiles help them to be more productive while one in three believes mobiles help them stay ahead in business.
It is the younger generation who are embracing new technology with open arms. Two thirds of 11 to 16 year olds in Britain believe they know more about IT and technology than their parents and 41% of parents agree. Over 80% of kids said that computers made learning more enjoyable and 59% wanted even more tuition on computers in schools.
Technical details
MORI conducted 1000 face-to-face interviews between 21-24 August 1998. Interviewing was carried out among a nationally representative sample of British households. On completion of the study, the data was weighted to accurately represent the profile of the population.
MORI conducted 292 face-to-face interviews in Scotland between 21 August - 11 September 1998. Interviewing was carried out among a nationally representative sample of Scottish households.
