Three-quarters of UK adults have a home broadband connection, according to new research from Ofcom.

The regulator's latest Media Literacy in the Nations study found 74 per cent of those aged over 16 have broadband in their household, while 76 per cent said they have internet access in their residence.

Eight in ten respondents stated they use the web, representing an increase of three percentage points on the first quarter of 2010, with the average Brit browsing at home for 9.4 hours per week.

Consumers in England were leading the way in terms of the amount of time spent on the internet on a weekly basis at 9.6 hours, followed by Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland with 9.1 hours, 8.4 hours and 8.3 hours respectively.

However, while the figures suggest adoption of the internet is widespread, differences between age groups are substantial. Just 25 per cent of over-65s go online, compared with 90 per cent of 16 to 25-year-olds.

A fifth of non-users revealed they sometimes get someone else to access the web on their behalf.

When asked why they have no broadband connection, 11 per cent of non-subscribers cited cost as their primary concern, while the number of people who said they simply were not interested in being able to get online stood at 47 per cent - up seven percentage points on last year.

People without internet access also revealed low levels of desire to use a range of online applications and services, with just 16 per cent keen to take advantage of email and 13 per cent eager to make online purchases.

Previous figures recorded in the final quarter of 2009 indicated there are 16.8 million fixed residential broadband lines across the UK.

Estimates covering the period from July to September 2010 show BT had a market share of 27.3 per cent, while nearest rival Virgin Media had 22.3 per cent.

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