Better broadband is better for economy than bigger airports, says survey

A survey for the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) showed that just 17% of respondents thought that building new airports would benefit the UK economy while only 12% said that building extra runways at existing airports would benefit the economy.

While 43% of those asked thought extending superfast broadband to all UK households would deliver more economic benefit.

“The public have told us that supporting the e-economy by rolling out universal superfast broadband will have more economic benefits for the UK than more traditional infrastructure projects like increasing airport capacity or high speed rail,” commented Prof Will Stewart from the IET.

The survey, of 2,011 adults aged 16-75 in Great Britain, also showed that only 16% of respondents thought that building a high speed rail line would benefit the economy.

The survey was carried out between 13 and 18 December by Ipsos Mori on behalf of the IET.