North prefers a chat as Britons connect online

Every region of Britain apart from the North and Scotland selected email as their top method of communication, the study by YouGov found.

Respondents were asked to select their three preferred methods of communication. Following email (60 per cent), the second most popular was face-to-face (55 per cent), and SMS (50 per cent) and then a mobile phone call (32 per cent). Social media was selected by 23 per cent, whereas instant messaging was chosen by only 12 per cent of the sample.

The survey, which looked at the day-to-day communication habits of more than 2,000 adults, found that 60 per cent of respondents in the North and 61 per cent in Scotland chose face-to-face communications as their top method, compared to 49 per cent of Londoners and 47 per cent of those from Wales.

There were variations across different age groups. Email was most popular among those aged 55 and over (70 per cent), with ease of use the main reason for selection.

Social media was selected as the preferred method mostly by those aged 18 to 24 (46 per cent) and 25 to 34 (33 per cent) because of its ability to allow users to share information, whereas instant messaging proved most used among the 18 to 24-year-olds (22 per cent).

The survey was conducted for the Interactive Intelligence, which devises software for call centres.

Dave Paulding, of Interactive Intelligence, said: “The results show that across the UK regions, people’s communications preferences vary according to where they live. Email is by far the most popular method, however talking face-to-face is still rated highly amongst people living in Scotland and the North.”