More than 39 million UK residents use the Internet in 2009, according to the latest assessment by eMarketer. By 2013, nearly 44 million will be online -- more than 70 percent of the total British population.
Usage has risen in all age groups, but especially among young people. The UK's Office of Communications (Ofcom) reported that two-thirds of children ages 5 to 7 were online in 2009 -- an increase of 16 percentage points since 2007.
Among children ages 8 to 11, Web penetration rose from 65 percent in 2007 to 77 percent in 2009.
"Marketers can be confident that virtually all segments of the UK population -- except some senior citizens and lower-income households -- are using the Web more than ever to research products and services and to keep tabs on brand offerings," said Karin von Abrams, eMarketer senior analyst.
Most UK Web users are online more frequently, too. Ofcom noted that in 2009, 73 percent of adults who had been online in the previous three months were daily Internet users, compared with 69 percent in 2008.
Men continued to outnumber women online, according to The Nielsen Company. But women edged them out among Internet users under 50 years old.
Wireless Internet usage was also somewhat stronger among men than among women, based on data from the UK Office for National Statistics.
"With nearly two-thirds of all UK residents using the Web, virtually all customer groups are now represented there," noted Ms. von Abrams. "But that has a downside for marketers too. Audiences are fragmenting -- mirroring the offline world."
