Our broadband polling shows rollout is a national priority

Improving broadband provision would give a bigger boost to the economy than other key technological innovations, British people have said.

In polling carried out for the Countryside Alliance, four in five (80%) of all adults agreed that rolling out high-speed broadband across the whole of the UK would have a positive impact on the economy, rising to 85% among rural dwellers.

This measure outscored greater investment in renewable energies (72%), and major transport projects such as Crossrail (54%), a third runway at Heathrow (51%), building a new international airport (52%) and HS2 (45%).

Headline findings

• More than two-thirds (69%) of the British public think that the Government's focus should be on ensuring that everyone in the UK has a broadband connection – even if that comes at the expense of maximising broadband speed in the most heavily populated areas. Fewer than one-in-ten (9%) think the Government should focus on maximising speed in major urban areas.


• Rolling out high-speed broadband across the whole of the UK is the technological improvement that the British public most widely believe will impact positively on the UK economy. Four-in-five (80%) of all adults agree that it would have a positive impact, rising to 85% among rural dwellers. This measure outscores greater investment in renewable energies (72%), and major transport projects such as Crossrail (54%), a third runway at Heathrow (51%), building a new international airport (52%) and High Speed 2 (45%).


• Nearly three in ten (29%) rural dwellers are dissatisfied with the speed of their broadband connection, compared with only 18% of urban dwellers.