One in ten Brits would cut back on food or heating rather than be disconnected from the internet, a new study by digital inclusion charity Good Things Foundation revealed.

The research shows just how vital Brits consider being connected to the internet is to their everyday lives, as the cost-of-living crisis continues to heap strain on the nation.

Nearly half (45%) of Brits would find it harder to manage their household finances without the internet while four in ten (42%) would find it tougher to pay their bills.

Women spend half their waking lives online, with three quarters (78%) using their phone more than any other device to get online, according to the research.

The average woman is online for 7.7 hours a day, just over an hour more than the average man who is connected for 6.6 hours of the day.

WhatsApp, Facebook, work and emails were the biggest uses of the internet among the 2,000 Brits polled.

Two-thirds (65%) of Gen Z (aged 18 to 24) use TikTok the most, Instagram was the biggest hit with Millennials (aged 25 to 34) at 40% and WhatsApp was most used by Gen X, with nearly half (49%) using that platform more than any other.

Four in 10 people say they would feel “cut off from the world” without digital access.

Some 2.5 million UK households struggle to afford internet access with one in 14 homes having no access at all, and 10 million people who lack the skills to use it.

Helen Milner, CEO of Good Things Foundation, which campaigns to end digital exclusion and get everyone connected, said: “Our findings show just how vital being able to use and have access to the internet is to people in Britain today.

“Everyone needs internet access to participate in everyday life – to connect with opportunities, services like healthcare and loved ones. We just can’t live without it – it’s very much one of our human rights.  

“And it would take co-investment of less than £25 million a year from Government and businesses to halve the digital divide by 2030.”  

Good Things Foundation has this month launched Digital For All, a nationwide campaign, which aims to raise awareness of the problems of digital exclusion and pressurise the government to do more to eradicate it.

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The campaign shines a spotlight on the transformative power of digital inclusion, made possible through free local digital support.

Working with their community partners in the National Digital Inclusion Network, the charity helps people who are digitally excluded in their own neighbourhoods, providing a space and online learning platform for those struggling to get online, as well as making devices accessible.

Alongside this, the charity runs the National Databank, which works like a food bank, but offers free mobile SIM cards for people in need of internet connectivity.