Britons would ditch heating before internet, survey finds

Zen Internet has published research suggesting many people in the UK would give up household essentials before losing internet access. The survey of 2,000 UK adults points to a broader shift in how consumers rank connectivity in daily life.

More than a third of respondents (36%) said they would rather go without hot water for a week than lose internet access. The findings also showed that 34% would give up their fridge, 47% would forgo cooking appliances, and 32% would go without heating in winter rather than go offline.

For many households, traditional television ranked below internet access. Some 54% said they would rather lose terrestrial TV for a week than lose the internet.

The figures suggest internet access now sits alongside, and in some cases above, basic home services for many consumers. The results highlight how closely digital access is tied to routine tasks and communication.

There was also a clear age divide in the responses. Almost two in five Gen Z and Millennial respondents, both at 38%, said they would rather lose heating in colder months for a week than lose internet access, compared with 24% of Baby Boomers.

Millennials were also more likely than older respondents to prioritise connectivity over hot water. Some 42% said they would rather lose hot water for a week than go without internet, compared with 30% of Baby Boomers.

The survey found that many people do not think they could cope for long without going online. Almost half (45%) said they would struggle to go without internet access for more than 12 hours, while only 12% of 18- to 24-year-olds thought they could manage a full week.

Separate figures from the data set showed that 24% of Britons believed they could go only 1 to 5 hours without internet access, while 18% said 6 to 12 hours. On average, respondents said they thought they could last four days offline.

Stress levels

The research also measured how internet loss compares with everyday frustrations. Some 46% said having no internet access for 24 hours would be more stressful than being stuck in a traffic jam, compared with 38% who said traffic would be worse.

Among Gen Z respondents, 53% said losing internet access for 24 hours would be more stressful than being stuck in traffic, compared with 41% of Baby Boomers.

Other digital disruptions also ranked highly. Some 35% said losing access to online banking would be more stressful than losing their wallet, while 44% said forgetting their phone would be more stressful than forgetting their physical wallet containing cards or cash.

The findings also indicated that, for many users, communication apps now carry more weight than older digital tools. Not having access to WhatsApp or text messages was seen as more stressful than losing email access.

"This isn't just about streaming and scrolling. The internet now underpins how we work, access money, manage our homes and stay connected to the people who matter. When people say they'd rather lose heating or hot water than go offline, it shows just how critical reliable connectivity has become in modern Britain. When something becomes this embedded in daily life, reliability stops being a luxury and becomes an expectation," said Stephen Warburton, Zen Internet.

Censuswide carried out the study among a nationally representative sample of UK consumers aged 16 and over. Its results add to a growing body of evidence that internet access is increasingly viewed not simply as a utility for entertainment, but as a core part of household life and personal administration.

For broadband providers, the findings underscore that service interruptions now affect more than just leisure. Banking, messaging, home management, and access to information all depend on a connection that many respondents appear to value above long-established domestic essentials.

Only 12% of people aged 16 to 18 said they thought they could go a full week without internet access.