Research on access, use and attitudes to the Internet in Britain based on biennial surveys covering (for example) digital and social inclusion and exclusion, mobile use, social media, safety and privacy concerns, Internet regulation, and behaviour.

Overview

OxIS is the only ongoing survey of Internet use in Britain; there is nothing with the scope and continuity of the OxIS data. It describes how Internet use has evolved from the first survey in 2003 to the present day. It includes information on use of the Internet, attitudes toward the Internet and technology, demographic information, and geographic information. It surveys the entire British population including users, non-users, and ex-users.

It can be used to track rising use of the Internet, to study reasons for non-use, and reasons to cease using the Internet, among many other questions. There is no other survey like it in Britain.

AOLBTHigher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce)OfcomWanadoo


Latest blog posts

People

  • Grant Blank

    Oxford Internet Institute

    Principal Investigator

Chapters

  • Blank, G. and Dutton, W.H. (2014) "The Ubiquitous Internet" In: The Ubiquitous Internet: User and Industry PerspectivesRoutledge Studies in New Media and Cyberculture. Routledge. 11-34.
  • Newman, N., Dutton, W. and Blank, G. (2014) "Social media and the news" In: Society and the Internet: How information and social networks are changing our lives Graham, M. and Dutton, W. (eds.). Oxford University Press. 135-148.
  • Blank, G. and Dutton, W. (2014) "Next generation internet users: digital divides, choices, and ineqaulities" In: Society and the Internet: How information and social networks are changing our lives Graham, M. and Dutton, W. (eds.). 36-52.
  • Blank, G. and Dutton, W.H. (2013) "The Emergence of Next-Generation Internet Users" In: A Companion to New Media Dynamics. Wiley-Blackwell. 122-141.

Conference papers

  • Newman, N., Dutton, W. and Blank, G. (2011) "Social media in the changing ecology of news production and consumption: the case of Britain", International Communication Association (ICA) Conference.
  • Margetts, H.Z. (2005) "The structure of e-government", Conference of the Communications Research Network.

Journal articles

  • Blank, G., Dutton, W.H. and Lefkowitz, J. (2020) Oxis 2019: Digital Divides in Britain are Narrowing But Deepening.
  • Dutton, W.H. and Blank, G. (2015) "Cultures on the Internet", Dutton, William H., and Blank, G. (2015), 'Cultures on the Internet', InterMedia, Winter 2014/15. 42 (4) 55-57.
  • Blank, G. and Groselj, D. (2014) "Dimensions of Internet use: amount, variety, and types", Information, Communication & Society. 17 (4) 417-435.
  • Dutton, W.H. and Blank, G. (2014) Cultures of the Internet: Five Clusters of Attitudes and Beliefs Among Users in Britain.
  • Dutton, W.H. and Blank, G. (2014) "The emergence of next generation internet users", International Economics and Economic Policy. 11 (1-2) 29-47.
  • Dutton, W.H. and Blank, G. (2013) "The emergence of next generation internet users", International Economics and Economic Policy. 11 (1-2) 1-19.
  • Blank, G. and Reisdorf, B.C. (2012) "The Participatory Web: A user perspective on Web 2.0", Information Communication and Society. 15 (4) 537-554.
  • Blank, G. and Dutton, W.H. (2012) "Age and trust in the internet: The centrality of experience and attitudes toward technology in britain", Social Science Computer Review. 30 (2) 135-151.
  • Newman, N., Dutton, W. and Blank, G. (2012) "Social media in the changing ecology of news: the fourth and fifth estates in Britain", International Journal of Internet Science. 7 (1) 6-22.
  • Brooks, B., Welser, H.T., Hogan, B.J. and Titsworth, S. (2011) "Socioeconomic status updates: college students, family SES, and emergent social capital in Facebook networks", Information, Communication and Society. 529-549.
  • Margetts, H. (2006) "E-Government in Britain—A Decade On", Parliamentary Affairs. 59 (2) 250-265.

Reports

  • Blank, G., Dutton, W.H. and Lefkowitz, J. (2019) Perceived Threats to Privacy Online: The Internet in Britain, the Oxford Internet Survey, 2019.
  • Dutton, W., Blank, G. and Groselj, D. (2013) Cultures of the Internet: The Internet in Britain. Oxford Internet Survey 2013. Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford.
  • Dutton, W. and Blank, G. (2011) Next generation users: The Internet in Britain. Oxford Internet Survey 2011. Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford.

Internet publications

  • Blank, G. (2014) No, digital natives are not clueless about protecting their privacy online. The Conversation.

Events

  • Oxford Internet Survey (OxIS) 2013 Report Launch

    1 October 2013, 17:30:00 - 19:30:00

    The launch of the OxIS 2013 Report, presenting a decade of OII-collected survey data on Internet use and attitudes in Britain.

  • OxIS 2011 Report Launch

    17 October 2011, 16:00:00 - 18:00:00

    The launch of the OxIS 2011 Report, presenting almost a decade of OII-collected survey data on Internet use and attitudes in Britain.

  • Changing Perceptions of the Online World: Trust and Privacy

    5 October 2010, 13:00:00 - 15:00:00

    This workshop is the fourth in a series of events looking at trends and insights emerging from the OII's OxIS surveys. The workshop will focus on changes in the attitudes of Britons toward trust, privacy and regulation in the online world.

  • Information Innovation in the Digital Age: Keeping Pace with the Reinvention of the Internet and Web

    24 September 2010, 12:00:00 - 14:00:00

    This workshop, the third in a series of events looking at trends and insights emerging from the OII's OxIS surveys, will compare and contrast the Internet's implications for research both in academic life and the everyday world.

  • Service Provision in the Digital Age: The Use and Impact of the Internet of People and Things in Supporting Business and Consumer Relationships

    12 May 2010, 14:30:00 - 17:30:00

    This Oxford Internet Survey Workshop will focus on the use and impact of new information and communication technologies on service provision and consumer relationships. The outcome of the workshop will feed into the 2011 OxIS survey.

  • OxIS 2009 Report Launch

    22 June 2009, 16:00:00 - 18:00:00

    The OxIS 2009 Report will be launched at the House of Commons with a large turnout of academics, regulators and industry people.

  • The Multicultural Web

    30 April 2009, 16:00:00 - 18:00:00

    Summary to come.

  • Report Launch: The Links Between Social and Digital Inclusion

    4 November 2008, 16:00:00 - 17:00:00

    Launch of a report on findings based on the analyses of OxIS, Ofcom and Office of National Statistics (ONS) databases as regards the links between social and digital inclusion.

  • Search!

    24 June 2008, 10:00:00 - 15:00:00

    A workshop discussing the past, present and future of searching for information and content. Social science and technological approaches are used to look at this topic from the perspective of both the producers and the users of searchable content.

  • Social Networking Conference

    7 April 2008, 10:00:00 - 16:00:00

    Summary to come.

  • Through the Network (of Networks) – the Fifth Estate

    15 October 2007, 17:00:00 - 18:00:00

    The Internet and web are creating a new space for networking people, information and other resources: this has the potential to become an important 'fifth estate' to support greater accountability in politics, the media and other institutional arenas.

  • OxIS Workshop: The Links between Digital Disengagement and Social Exclusion

    4 October 2007, 14:00:00 - 17:00:00

    This first event in new series of workshops organised around the Oxford Internet Survey (OxIS) 2007 Report focuses on discussion of the links between social and digital inclusion.

  • OxIS 2007 Report Launch

    24 July 2007, 16:00:00 - 18:00:00

    Launch of the OxIS 2007 Report.

  • The Next Oxford Internet Survey (OxIS)

    24 November 2006, 11:00:00 - 15:30:00

    This interactive workshop will seek to gain feedback on the first two Oxford Internet Surveys (OxIS), conducted in 2003 and 2005, with a view to informing the design of the next survey, scheduled for spring 2007.

  • OII Research and Policy Workshop

    27 March 2006, 11:00:00 - 15:00:00

    A workshop showcasing two areas of the OII's research addressing questions of real concern to government, industry and NGOs: generational and age-related patterns of Internet use, and Internet filtering conducted by national governments.

  • Launch Reception: The Oxford Internet Survey (OxIS) Report 2005

    21 September 2005, 17:00:00 - 18:30:00

    This is a launch reception for the Oxford Internet Surveys (OxIS) Report 2005 which presents results from OxIS 2003 and 2005. OxIS investigates the patterns and social implications of Internet use and non-use in Britain.

  • OxIS Survey 2005 Workshop

    20 May 2005, 14:15:00 - 17:00:00

    The results of the OxIS 2005 survey will be discussed.

  • Whose Responsibility is Digital Inclusion?

    11 April 2005, 14:00:00 - 17:00:00

    This half-day seminar will explore the very latest evidence on Internet use from the Oxford Internet Survey (OxIS), and discuss whether Government still has responsibilities to increase uptake, and, if so, which Department should be responsible.

  • The Next Oxford Internet Survey (OxIS): A London Workshop

    4 June 2004, 10:15:00 - 14:00:00

    This meeting will discuss ways to build on the first Oxford Internet Survey (OxIS), conducted in the early summer of 2003, which will continue to play a role in the World Internet Project.

Videos

News

Blog

Press

  • Covid ticketing rules exclude people not online from major events

    Date Published: 1 July 2021

    Source: Guardian

    Campaigners call on entertainment and sport sectors to ensure inclusion of those without access. People without internet access face being shut out of major sporting events because Covid restrictions have moved some ticket sales exclusively online.

  • Over-65s shun internet as Oxford University study finds rising privacy concerns

    Date Published: 10 September 2019

    Source: Daily Telegraph

    The over-65s are staying offline because of rising privacy fears, an Oxford University study has found, as it emerged that more than half of people in that age bracket still do not use the internet.

  • Almost one-fifth of Britons ‘do not use internet’

    Date Published: 9 September 2019

    Source: BBC News

    Almost 20% of British people are not using the internet, a survey suggests. The detailed in-home survey of almost 2,000 Britons found that 18% described themselves as non-users.

  • Online privacy fears put growing numbers of people off using the internet with one in TEN now saying they avoid the web because of concerns

    Date Published: 9 September 2019

    Source: Mail Online

    Online privacy fears put growing numbers of people off using the internet with one in TEN now saying they avoid the web because of concerns.

  • Fears over privacy are widening the ‘digital divide’, experts suggest

    Date Published: 9 September 2019

    Source: Metro

    Privacy has become the new watchword as users get more savvy about how their online data is being used. But it turns out privacy fears may actually be preventing people from getting to grips with the internet.

  • Most UK citizens do not find internet enthusiastic: Study

    Date Published: 4 October 2013

    Source: The Times of India

    The Times of India reports on the finding of the OxIS 2103 that many UK citizens use the Internet with reluctance.

  • Over half of British internet users go online ‘without enthusiasm’

    Date Published: 2 October 2013

    Source: Phys Org

    A report of the OxIS 2013 findings that nearly half of the people who go online do so with a lack of enthusiasm

  • Britain’s reluctant internet revolutionaries

    Date Published: 1 October 2013

    Source: The Daily Telegraph

    The 2013 Oxford Internet Surveys have charted the speed in which the digital revolutions is transforming life in Britain but it also reveals that almost four out of 10 people use it with reluctance.

  • One in seven admit they hate the internet and fear it is ‘taking control of our lives’… but more of us are going online

    Date Published: 1 October 2013

    Source: Daily Mail

    Report of the finding of OxIS 2013 that many users of the Internet do so reluctantly.

  • Divorce: A silver lining

    Date Published: 20 August 2013

    Source: The Economist

    An article about divorce among older people, notes that an OII report soon to be released found that 51% of retired people that use the internet meet people online.

  • Are you middle of the road or enlightened?

    Date Published: 13 November 2012

    Source: thinkbroadband

    'It should be required reading for anyone involved in digital inclusion schemes.' BT's official business site refers to the OII’s study, sponsored by the Nominet Trust, of digital use by young people.

  • Cloud control is key to the future of the Internet

    Date Published: 22 July 2012

    Source: The Observer

    The Oxford Internet Surveys are the only studies that come anywhere near OfCom's annual communications report market says John Naughton. Among findings he notes, is a significant rise in smartphone use and in internet access among 65–74 year olds.

  • Digital solutions to tackle youth unemployment

    Date Published: 16 February 2012

    Source: CivilSociety.co.uk

    Dan Sutch of the Nominet Trust looks at opportunities presented by digital technology to address the challenge of youth unemployment. But young people not online need support too. He refers to OII findings and current research.

  • Oxford Internet Institute showcases Stata’s capabilities

    Date Published: 1 January 2012

    Source: The STATA News

    The work of OII researchers using Stata's statistical software for analysis of the data collected for the Oxford Internet Survey (OxIS) is featured in the company's quarterly newsletter.

  • How to lift the digital age barrier

    Date Published: 30 November 2011

    Source: The Guardian

    According to figures from the OII's Oxford Internet Surveys (OxIS), Internet use among people aged 65 and over sits at only about 30% and has not changed much since 2005, despite campaigns to get more older people connected.

  • Prof. Dutton: ”Next Generation Internet Users” w sieci szukają głównie rozrywki i multimediów Więcej

    Date Published: 24 October 2011

    Source: Gazeta Wyborcza

    William Dutton discusses findings from the 2011 Oxford Internet Survey (OxIS) at the 2011 World Internet Project (WIP) meeting in Poland.

  • Study finds half of web users go online via mobile devices

    Date Published: 19 October 2011

    Source: Broadband Choice

    The characteristics of 'new generation users' of the Internet as revealed in the 2011 Oxford Internet Surveys are highlighted on the broadband website. They visit multiple locations, utilise several difference devices and contribute content.

  • Attitudes towards the internet may hold back ‘Digital Britain’

    Date Published: 22 June 2009

    Source: The Independent

    'Though Gordon Brown may have trumpeted nationwide broadband access as essential for economic growth at the recent Digital Britain summit, a new Oxford University study suggests the barriers to creating a new digital Britain could lie in hearts and minds'

  • Professor William Dutton gives keynote presentation at CIM Forum Europe’s inaugural event

    Date Published: 17 September 2007

    Source: TMCnet

    William Dutton gives a keynote presentation at CIM Forum Europe's inaugural event, presenting the results of the OxIS 2007 report into the changing landscape of internet access, use and attitudes in Britain

  • Oxford survey on internet use in Britain

    Date Published: 26 July 2007

    Source: Physorg.com

    The Oxford Internet Institute has released the OxIS Report 2007, the latest report in a series OII surveys that examine internet access, use and attitudes in Britain. A key finding is that a digital divide continues to exist

  • Digital divide grows with web use

    Date Published: 25 July 2007

    Source: BBC News

    The digital divide in Britain is still pronounced despite growing intensity of internet use [...] The Oxford Internet Survey (OxIS) found that with two-thirds of Britons online, the poor, the old and the less educated are still losing out

  • Report: UK digital divide still exists

    Date Published: 25 July 2007

    Source: BCS News

    A new study has revealed that a digital divide between certain sectors of society still exists in the UK. According to the Oxford Internet Survey Report 2007, men still use the internet more than women for most purposes

  • One in three rejects technology

    Date Published: 10 July 2005

    Source: The Sunday Times

    Coverage of the OxIS 2005 Report: 'New research by the Oxford Internet Institute (OII) reveals that it is not only money, age or education that is stopping people going online. Many people remain unconnected by choice - they are digital refuseniks'

  • How the net changed family life

    Date Published: 12 June 2005

    Source: The Sunday Times

    Coverage of the Oxford Internet Survey (OxIS) 2005 Report: 'It's official: the internet is transforming our social fabric. Andrew Smith examines the evidence in an exclusive preview of a new nationwide survey'

  • The internet refuseniks

    Date Published: 24 November 2003

    Source: BBC News

    Professor Richard Rose discusses OxIS 2003: Just because internet access is now widely available, that does not mean everyone will want to use it. What will it take to get the whole population online?