This statistic illustrates the findings of a survey on the awareness and usage of online security measures and safety features among narrow internet users in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2015. Of respondents, 52 percent reported using anti-virus software at home, while 33 percent were not aware of this security feature. A staggering 88 percent were not aware of ad blocking software, which only saw use among five percent of respondents. Of the security features that were deliberately not used by respondents, since they were aware of their existence but didn't use them, firewalls took the first place and almost a quarter of users decided against using them.
Usage and awareness of selected online security measures and safety features among narrow internet users in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2015*
Characteristic
Use this at home
Do not use this at home
Not aware of this security feature
Anti-virus software
52%
15%
33%
Firewall
37%
23%
41%
Protecting your home WiFi connection to prevent other people from outside the home from using it
12%
14%
74%
Email filters that can block unwanted or spam emails
* The original survey question was: "Before today, which, if any, of the following online security measures or safety features had you heard of?/ And which if any, of those measures or features do you have or use on any of the devices you use to go
online at home?" Responses were prompted, multi-coded.
** The source provided the following explanation of "narrow internet users": In order to assess the breadth of use of the internet, 30 of the 32 individual internet activities referenced in the 2015 report were grouped into 17 types of online use ever made by internet users. Internet users have been categorized into narrow, medium and broad users of the internet, depending on how many of these 17 types of use they ever make.
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Ofcom. (April 21, 2016). Usage and awareness of selected online security measures and safety features among narrow internet users in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2015* [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved August 25, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/322225/online-security-measures-usage-by-narrow-internet-users-uk/
Ofcom. "Usage and awareness of selected online security measures and safety features among narrow internet users in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2015*." Chart. April 21, 2016. Statista. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/322225/online-security-measures-usage-by-narrow-internet-users-uk/
Ofcom. (2016). Usage and awareness of selected online security measures and safety features among narrow internet users in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2015*. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: August 25, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/322225/online-security-measures-usage-by-narrow-internet-users-uk/
Ofcom. "Usage and Awareness of Selected Online Security Measures and Safety Features among Narrow Internet Users in The United Kingdom (Uk) in 2015*." Statista, Statista Inc., 21 Apr 2016, https://www.statista.com/statistics/322225/online-security-measures-usage-by-narrow-internet-users-uk/
Ofcom, Usage and awareness of selected online security measures and safety features among narrow internet users in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2015* Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/322225/online-security-measures-usage-by-narrow-internet-users-uk/ (last visited August 25, 2024)
Usage and awareness of selected online security measures and safety features among narrow internet users in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2015* [Graph], Ofcom, April 21, 2016. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/322225/online-security-measures-usage-by-narrow-internet-users-uk/