Any reader of CommsWatch will be more than familiar with the growth of user-generated content on the Internet. But who is generating this content and how widespread is the trend? Ofcom’s recent publication “The Communications Market 2006″ is a rich source of data to be mined and provides some light on the user-generated content issue.

41% of UK adults with the Net at home say that they have used social networking websites. However, of Net users aged 16 and over, the proportion who claim actually to have contributed to a website or a weblog by writing a comment or posting a photo or video is only 14%.

Of course, this 14% figure is an average and the distribution is massively skewed to the young. 37% of those aged between 18-24 have made a contribution, but only 19% of those aged 15-34. Above the mid 30s, the proportion becomes very small: 10% of those aged 35-44, 9% of the 45-54, and a mere 4% of the 55+ age group.

Actual ownship of a website or a weblog is even smaller of course. Only 11% of those who use the Net claim to have their own site or blog. Again this figure is skewed with those aged 35-44 particularly unlikely to have a site (presumably they are busy with career and children). 19% of those aged 18-24 say that they have a site or blog, while this is true of 15% of those aged 25-34, a mere 6% of the 35-44 year olds, 12% of those in the 45-54 bracket, and only 6% of those aged 55 and over. There is a major gender difference: 15% of male Net users have a presence on the Net, but only 7% of female users.