Britons are latest to adopt new technology and most reluctant to upgrade

Britons are among the least likely nations to embrace new technologies and to replace their existing gadgets, a study into global consumer habits has revealed.

Just 4 per cent of Britons described themselves as actively on the lookout to buy new devices and services, while an additional 7 per cent said they were keen to try new products as soon as they become available, research from YouGov found.

A combined 40 per cent said they either liked to buy new products after they’d been out for a while (19 per cent) or only bought devices when they really liked them (21 per cent).

Comparatively, half (49 per cent) of respondents only replaced their appliances and other devices when they either broke or went wrong, falling into the “latecomers” category.

Cautious about replacing products

Britain’s reluctance to upgrade its tech unless absolutely necessary is significantly higher than the global average of 35 per cent, drawn from more than 370,000 interviews YouGov conducted across the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific.

Britain is home to the highest proportion of latecomers across all 25 territories, followed most closely by 42 per cent in both Canada and Denmark and 41 per cent in Spain.

Early adopters in the US made up a combined 18 per cent of respondents, compared to Britain’s 11 per cent, 14 per cent in Germany and 19 per cent in France. Sweden boasted the highest number of dedicated followers in Europe, with a combined 21 per cent.

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While enthusiasm for new tech was particularly high in India (49 per cent) and Indonesia (31 per cent), it was notably lower in Japan, where only 8 per cent were either actively looking for or were “always keen” to try products as soon as they hit the shelves.

Young, male buyers

Britain’s dedicated tech followers are overwhelmingly young, male and well-off, with the majority aged between 18 and 34-years old, while consumers who hold off on replacing their devices until they break tend to be older – more than half (53 per cent) are aged over 55.

“More than a quarter of Great Britain’s early adopters have between £250 and £750 disposable income a month, making them a lucrative consumer group,” said Russell Feldman, director of digital, media and technology research at YouGov.

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