London, Nov 17(ANI): Over 8.4 million Britons have never used the web, despite a sharp fall in non-internet users in the country, official figures have shown.ccording to the UK's Office of National Statistics (ONS), the number of adults who had never been online fell by 299,000 till September, as compared to a decrease of 12,000 people in the previous quarter.
The figures come in the wake of the UK Government aiming to get everyone online by 2015, and Internet entrepreneur Martha Lane Fox running the Race Online campaign to create 1.9 million new Internet users by 2012.
The ONS Labour Force Survey showed that the number of non-internet users decreased in all age groups, except the youngest, which showed a small increase, The Telegraph reports.
The survey also showed 98.6 percent of people aged between 16 and 24 years were Internet users, and 72.4 percent of people aged over 75 years have still never used the Internet.
The survey showed that over half those who have never been online are disabled people.
"A growing gap exists between those who are online and those who are not, as the Internet becomes more of an essential utility for consumers," a statutory organization, Consumer Focus' member Jonathan Stearn said.
"The Government must provide even more targeted support to those who lose out the most. That means tackling real barriers over cost, access, security fears, and computer skills," he added. (ANI)
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