Browsing the internet is a popular leisure time activity.

A study conducted by TNS has revealed that six out of ten online UK adults meet in person with contacts they first made on the internet.

The global TNS Digital World, Digital Life study conducted to examine online behaviour, highlights the widespread assimilation of the internet as a popular means of socialising.

58% of those questioned in the online poll of 2,500 UK web-users have met an online friend in person, while 45% have had a telephone conversation with an internet contact.

According to the report, the British respondents stated that on average 25% of all their friends are ‘online only friends’.

What was also made apparent by the study was that despite the rising popularity of online social networking, web-users remained dubious about the true identity of their internet friends. Respondents stated that face-to-face interaction was still the most preferred form of social contact.

Arno Hummerston, Managing Director of TNS Global Interactive, said: “What comes out in this survey is that we are actively engaging with people online, but we haven’t lost the knack for conventional social contact. At the same time, online acquaintances are now perceived by most of us as real acquaintances.”

An earlier survey conducted by TNS also discovered that nearly a third of our leisure time in the UK is spent online. Housewives topped the league table for internet usage, spending 47% of their free time online – far outstripping students at 39% and the unemployed at 32%.

UK adults spend 28% of their leisure time on the internet. The figure rises to 32% for those aged between 18 and 24.

For further information, visit: http://www.tnsglobal.com/