(Note upsurge of people ‘privatising’ their social networking sites; and gender differences as well as usual age differences.)

Ofcom’s UK Adults’ Media Literacy interim report published today revealed that almost twice as many internet users now say they have a social networking site profile than in 2007 (38 per cent up from 22 per cent). Some 41 per cent of users now say they use a social networking site daily, compared with 30 per cent two years ago. And three quarters of those with a social networking profile (76 per cent) now say that it can only be seen by family and friends, up from 48 per cent in 2007.

The research involved 812 in-home interviews with adults aged 16 and over from April to May 2009 and is designed to give an accessible overview of media literacy among UK adults aged 16 and over.

Other key findings

· Since 2007 there has been considerable growth in household take-up of the internet among older adults aged 65 and over (41 per cent vs. 26 per cent) and those in low income households (51 per cent vs. 35 per cent). However, these figures are still at a much lower level compared to all UK adults (73 per cent).

· There are some gender differences in what the internet is regularly used for – males are more likely than females to say they use the internet at least weekly for news (27 per cent vs. 16 per cent), while females are more likely than males to use the internet at least weekly for social networking (39 per cent vs. 28 per cent).
· One in three UK adults who use the internet (29 per cent) are watching online or downloading TV programmes or films, with adults aged 25-34 more likely to do this (43 per cent) compared to other age groups. Almost all of these are doing so through UK TV broadcasters’ websites.
· Internet users appear to be less willing to provide personal information online than was the case in 2007. Overall one in five (21 per cent) say they would never enter their credit card details online, and nearly one quarter (23 per cent) say they would never enter their mobile phone number, up from 17 per cent and 19 per cent respectively. Those who are more confident using the internet are more likely to say that they would be happy to provide personal information online. Older people are less likely to be happy to give their details.
· Compared to 2007, people are more likely to think that content is regulated, whether it be on television, radio, the internet, gaming or mobile phones. For example, 38 per cent of people think that internet content is regulated, compared to 26 per cent in 2007.

The full research can be found here: http://www.ofcom.org.uk/advice/media_literacy/medlitpub/medlitpubrss/uk_adults_ml/