the digital divide

As many as 98 per cent own a computer and 97 per cent are connected to the internet – in the richest ten per cent of households.

But among the poorest ten per cent, just 38 per cent have a home computer with only 30 per cent online, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics.

The ONS Family Spending Report also showed that household spending had fallen for the first time in almost a decade.