People are logging on less in borough
● INTERNET usage in Halton dropped last year according to the most recent figures.
The Office For National Statistics (ONS) has published data covering both the borough and Warrington.
The figures show 220,000 people in both areas aged 16 and above logged on in 2016, down from the 233,000 in 2015.
The number of Halton and Warrington residents who have either never used the internet or last went online more than three months ago rose from 37,000 in 2015 to 46,000 last year.
In percentages, the number of those logging on less than three months after their last time online has fallen from 86.2% in 2015 to 82.8% in 2016.
It also means the rate of those in Runcorn, Widnes and Warrington who last logged on more than three months ago, or never, has grown from 13.8% in 2015 to 17.2% last year.
Figures for 2017 in Halton are yet to be published.
Across the UK between January and March 2017, the ONS figures showed 89% of adults had recently used the internet which is up from 88% in 2016.
A total of 9%, meanwhile, had never logged on, down from 10% last year.
The ONS research also discovered ‘virtually all’ adults – 99% – aged 16 to 34 were recent internet users in contrast to only 41% of adults aged 75 years and above.
A total of 90% of men and 88% of women were recent internet users – up from 89% and 86% respectively in 2016 – while recent internet use among women aged 75 and above has almost trebled from 2011.