16 Percent of Gen Z Believe Hitting a Router Improves UK Broadband
A new Censuswide survey of 2,014 UK adults with a broadband connection, which was commissioned by ISP Zen Internet to examine some common connectivity myths, has found that 16% of 16-24-year-olds (Gen Z) believe that hitting their router will improve internet connectivity, which compares with just 2% of over 55s.
The survey, which was conducted during May 2021, also found that 54% of Gen Z believe that turning off their video on conference calls can improve connectivity, while just 29% of over 55s “appear more aware that switching off video streaming is likely to be a temporary fix at best and that the poor signal is probably caused by a wider problem.”
Perhaps of more concern is that 21% of Gen Z adults still believe WiFi can “cause harmful radiation“, although at present the only known impact is a miniscule amount of heating (all forms of light / EM give off heat as they’re absorbed by the body, but you only really notice this with extremely energetic sources, such as the sun). Meanwhile, amongst the over 55s, only 5% thought WiFi could cause harmful radiation.
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Summary of Additional Survey Results
➤ 27% of Gen Z accurately picked the right definition of Full Fibre as an ‘Internet service that uses fibre optic technology all the way from the exchange to the property’, compared to 42% of over 55s getting the right answer.
➤ 24% of Gen Z correctly identified Ethernet as ‘a dedicated circuit which can be provided over a mixture of technologies from customer to supplier with increased service level agreements’, which fell to just 15% of those aged 55+.
➤ There aren’t just disparities between age groups. Those in need of any technical support should look to friends and family in Scotland and Yorkshire. Both emerged top of the table when accurately describing Full Fibre (46% and 45%). Regions in the south emerged as the most knowledgeable on Ethernet, with Greater London (21%) coming out on top, ahead of the South West (20%).
Paul Stobart, CEO at Zen Internet, said: “They say wisdom comes with age and that would appear to be the case even in an area like technology, where youth would ordinarily be perceived to be at an advantage. Broadband plays an increasingly important role in our lives, so it’s vital that all of us, regardless of age and experience, can distinguish the fact from the fiction; there are still many misconceptions out there regarding broadband that could be holding consumers back from getting the most out of their connectivity. What this research study has shown me is that the broadband industry has a job on its hands to help consumers understand how broadband works, so that they can optimise connectivity in the home.”
Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads.net and Linkedin.
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The hell is this?
Depends how far you hit it I guess
Use a baseball bat!
And the other 84% believe they’re entitled to “everything”.
This survey isn’t about politics believe it or not.
Given the hostility they get from, say, yourself, some defensiveness isn’t surprising.
You know the generations before us look down on us even as many of them excrete on us to keep us down there, right?
Be a part of the solution to intergenerational inequality, not a continuation of it.
16% Oh for _____ sake.
It used to work on old TV’s when u had to whack the side to get the signal or sound, it was due to loose connections that put them in place that was giving that effect really.
99% of Gen Z laugh at the boomers when they don’t realise how easy it is to troll them.
Exactly this.
The trick is to use a rubber mallet, as a metal one can cause interference with the wifi. Hit hard and steady, then hit your PC as well, esp if runs M$ windoze.
As I understand it,Generally speaking placing your router in the microwave for 10 minutes on full power recharges the WiFi radios. I’ve not tried this method myself, if you do try it can you report back here with the results, warning note, this procedure might cause significant harm to either the router, microwave or bodily damage to living beings.
There was a social media trend at one point telling people they could charge their iPhone by putting it in the microwave. It didn’t end well.
Most of GenZ can’t even think for themselves and needs some infuencer on YouTube, twitch TikTok etc to tell them what to do.
Could say the same about Boomers and The Daily Mail but I know that’s just a stereotype.
Pretty sure boomers didn’t bring in laws to force you to call people “They/Them”.
Look, it’s theyperson to the rescue. GenZ can’t make up it’s mind if it’s a human, toaster, male, female or ” ? ” and we’re all being forced to accept this madness because if you don’t it cancel time.
God the amount of people I have had this conversation with is unreal!
This doesn’t pass the sniff test, I suspect flawed methodology of this so-called “research study”.
Or they have a good understanding of sarcasm.
I think many of those who said a whack helps, only said so because they thought they would appear to be hip, trendy and funny. I doubt many of them actually believe that.