Scots come tops for web 'Wilfing'

More than 60% of Scots admitted aimlessly surfing

Scots web users have topped a poll for browsing the net without any real purpose.

The survey suggested that more than 60% of Scots regularly surfed or 'Wilfed' - which stands for 'What was I looking for?' - with men most likely to 'Wilf'.

According to the study, an average of two full working days a month were spent being regularly distracted by pages on the net, at work or at home.

The YouGov poll sampled 2,412 adults across the UK.

Researchers found that three types of website, namely shopping, news and travel pages were among the most likely to cause surfers to 'Wilf'.

Not allowing ourselves to 'Wilf' takes a mixture of planning and willpower Pete Cohen, Motivator and life coach

The poll suggested that although people often logged on with a specific purpose they were experiencing so many online distractions that many forget what they were looking for.

Among Scots, 63% admitted to being distracted 'all or some of the time' when online for work or study reasons.

One in five also said they spent a third of their time 'Wilfing'.

The study, conducted for moneysupermarket.com, also suggested that the phenomenon could in some cases harm relationships with 28% of Scots saying they had been nagged by their partners for spending too much time aimlessly surfing.

In addition, the poll found that men were more likely to 'Wilf' than women, with adult entertainment sites being among the most likely to distract.

Distraction

Despite the poll results, researchers found that the older a web surfer was, the less likely they were to 'Wilf', with those aged over 55 three times less likely to be distracted than those aged under 25.

Pete Cohen, national TV motivator and life coach, said: "Not allowing ourselves to 'Wilf' takes a mixture of planning and willpower - these days there are all manner of websites gunning for our attention.

"Set yourself a specific surfing goal and time limit to keep on track. Set pop-up blockers on your PC to save you being distracted.

"And when you're buying things online, think about using online services that will trawl the net for you and allow you to get off the computer and on with your life."