Articles

28.2.2011 Facebook fails in UK poll

Home broadband, Google and price comparison websites are among UK consumers' favourite innovations from the last decade - although social networks like Facebook are less popular. The Foundation surveyed 2,243 peopleregarding the products and services which had "contributed the most and least to their lives" during the last ten years, choosing three in each category. Home broadband enjoyed the best overall index score, scoring 192 points out of a potential 300, while ecommerce claimed second on 94 points. Google's online search engine occupied third with 54 points, beating chip and pin payment systems, registering 49 points, ten points ahead of digital cameras and photography.

Price comparison websites hit 38 points, community recycling received 32 points and improved nutrition labelling on food generated 29 points. Completing the top ten were low-cost air travel, attracting 25 points, followed by satellite navigation services, yielding 24 points. The main reasons cited when praising this group included usefulness, mentioned by 66% of the panel, and saving time, on 55%. Cost savings constituted a primary factor for 40% of the sample, and another 28% referenced the "cutting-edge" technology behind many of these offerings.

B.L. 28.2.2011