Education web sites are the UKs most visited - 17 May 2001
Education-related websites are the sites most frequently visited by UK internet users, according to new research.The research was commissioned by Yell.com to coincide with the launch of this year’s Yell.com/Awards. Nominations for the Yell.com/Awards open on May 21, offering UK web users the chance to vote online for ‘best on the net’ at www.yell.com/awards. Now in their sixth year, the Yell.com/Awards are the only internet awards scheme nominated by the public.
Almost thirty five per cent of web users questioned said that sites offering learning material and general eduction information are their favourite sites. This suggests that today’s biggest web advocates are parents and students who are using the internet as a virtual classroom to get ahead at school and at work.
If the survey results reflect the voting in the Yell.com/Awards, not only education related sites but those dedicated to the arts, music and media are likely to be rated very highly. Sites specialising in fun and games may find themselves having to work harder to capture the public’s imagination and score nominations at this year’s awards.
The top 10 most frequently visited site categories in the UK are:
1. Education (33%)
2. Arts and Music (30%)
3. Media (28%)
4. Sports (26%)
5. Finance (23%)
6. Commerce (21%)
7. Games (18%)
8. Funny (15%)
9. Kids and Youth (10%)
10. Community (10%)
John Condron, CEO Yell, said: "The results of the research really demonstrate the scope and diversity of the internet. We hope that this year’s Yell.com/Awards will reward those sites that have captured the imagination of the UK net users and the true spirit of the net in 2001."
The new research offers evidence that the internet is now an indispensable tool for the UK population with one in five people citing better communication as its most beneficial aspect. With more than a third of people surveyed saying the internet has allowed them to communicate more freely, the internet is now a lifeline for cost effective, simple and safe self-expression.
Other Key Findings:
Gender Divide:
· The internet is reversing traditional stereotypes with more men (24%) than women (17%) visiting commerce sites and women using games sites just as frequently as men (18%)
· More women (20%) than men (12%) say the internet has allowed them to pursue their education
Surfing at Work:
· Out of people who spend between 1-5 hours per week on the net, 47% do so at work
Why the Net is Best:
· Most people say the internet has allowed them to communicate more freely (36%)
· (33%) of respondents said the most amazing thing about the internet is information, whilst (19%) plumped for communication.
The Public Not Buying eCommerce:
· Most people have not spent anything on the net in the past 6 months (58%)
Yell.com (www.yell.com) is the destination site from Yell. It features 1.7m UK
classified listings that can be searched by business type, name and location.
Advanced search functionality, up to date information for leisure and business services and an increasing range of e-products and services are accessible through Yell.com.
