May 31, 2007

According to a recent survey published by Nielsen//NetRatings, young women aged 18 to 34 account for about 27 percent more of total time spent online in the U.K. than men in their same age group.

For every hour Britons spend on computers, 13 minutes are accounted for by 18-to-34-year-old women.

eMarketer notes that "overall, women between 18 and 34 are at a stage in their life where the Internet is an invaluable tool, whether they are researching universities, keeping in touch with friends from school, gathering information for college assignments, job-hunting or even raising young children."

"Companies who understand this demographic composition when providing services or content through the Internet or simply advertising online will maximise their chances of success in the Web 2.0 of the future," said Alex Burmaster of Nielsen.

The UK's ONS (Office for National Statistics) reported in August of last year that 64 percent of men used the Internet every day, or almost every day, as compared with about 54 percent of women.

The Office for National Statistics' data indicate that despite the frequency of their online visits, men don't spend as much time during those visits as women do.

Additionally, Nielsen found that the Internet population in Britain is split almost equally between males (51.5 percent) and females (48.5 percent).

Overall, Nielsen counted all users aged 2 and older.

As of August of last year, MORI reported that men comprised 53 percent of the UK's Internet users. MORI's sample included users aged 15 and older.

The overall difference between the Nielsen and MORI data indicate that, as in the US, the UK's Internet population promises to trend increasingly female as time progresses.

Source: eMarketer