Is 5G improving our digital experience? Here’s what Americans and Brits think about it

5G promises to deliver huge benefits to consumers and businesses alike, through higher data speeds, more reliability and increased availability. For an increasing number of 5G enabled phone owners, it's also part of their everyday user experience.

A new analysis from YouGov looks at whether consumers in Great Britain and the United States think 5G is improving their digital experience, and reveals that just a quarter of Brits (25%) believe it is, compared to almost half of Americans (45%).

Notably, a sizable proportion of consumers from both markets haven’t made up their mind, with 36% in Britain and 35% in the US still on the fence about 5G’s advantages. That’s not surprising given that only a proportion of phone users can access the technology.

Almost two in five Brits – and one in five Americans – disagree that 5G is improving their digital experience. At least three in ten GB consumers across all age groups disagree with the statement, and the share of those 55+ who see no enhancement is almost half (48%).

Perhaps unsurprisingly, younger GB consumers are more likely to recognise the benefits of 5G while the share of older Brits who say the same is significantly lower. There’s almost a ten-point difference between 35-44-year-olds (35%) and 45-54-year-olds (25%), and a further 12-point drop among those aged 55 and above (13%).

The data also suggests that British men are more likely to experience the benefits of 5G than women (31% vs. 20%).

We see a similar age skew in the US, with younger consumers more likely to believe 5G improves the speed of streaming and apps compared to the older generation. A considerable share across age groups are still undecided about 5G’s benefits, with those over the age of 55 saying they neither agree nor disagree sitting at 40%.

While age may be a defining factor here, gender does not seem to play a role into opinions toward 5G. American men and women share an almost equal level of agreement and disagreement (46% vs. 43%).

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Methodology: YouGov Profiles is based on continuously collected data and rolling surveys, rather than from a single limited questionnaire. Profiles data is nationally representative and weighted by age, gender, education, region, and race. Learn more about Profiles.