Most popular young adult sites in UK finance focused

Apparently, it's not all about having fun online. Research among young, British adults reveals that financial management is front of mind when it comes to their reasons for going online.

by Helen Leggatt

The three most popular websites among young adults in the UK were all related to student finance, according to new Nielsen research. The Student Loan Company, University Clearing and Admissions Service (UCAS) and Student Finance Direct all had the greatest concentration of 18 – 22 year olds, all with 40%.

The next three most popular websites among young adults were entertainment, video and music related - Sidereel, TV-Links.cc and Alluc.org.

"It's interesting to see that the sites with the heaviest concentration of young adults split into two conflicting groups - functional and entertainment," said Alex Burmaster, an internet analyst at Nielsen Online, in a recent release (.pdf).

"This mirrors the uneasy transition of growing up from teenage years into adulthood and the associated increase in responsibility. Whilst entertainment, mainly through video sites, still has a place, this has been usurped by the need to investigate higher education and financing oneself through it."