Online banking remains one of the most popular reasons for using the internet, recent research has revealed.
The survey, conducted by Nationwide Building Society, found that 77 per cent of people go online in order to access their banking services. This is more than the 58 per cent of users who are heading to social media sites and the 37 per cent who are checking out job postings.
There was little difference recorded between the sexes, with 79 per cent of men going online to bank and 76 per cent of women doing so. Nationwide suggested that this finding contradicts the stereotype of men handling the household finances.
Richard Searle, head of channel integration with the building society, commented: “Online banking has really taken off over the last few years and that is something we have been very aware of with the launch of our new and improved internet bank, but I have to say even we were surprised to see it beat social media (e.g. Facebook) as one of the top reasons the nation goes online.”
He added that the survey also “bucked a few trends” showing that online banking has become part of our daily lives rather than the reserve of certain sections of society.
