Research and analysis

Appendix 2: data tables

Published 17 July 2025

Table 1: Access barriers by sector

The table below shows responses to the question: “Have you experienced barriers or accessibility issues when trying to buy or use products or services from the following sectors in the last twelve months?” Respondents could select multiple sectors (N=1,418).

Priority area	Sector	Percentage
1	Retail	65%
2	Entertainment, leisure and hospitality	57%
3	Wellbeing, personal care and beauty	49%
4	Couriers, delivery and postal services	36%
4	Household goods and services	36%
5	Sports and exercise	35%
6	Financial and legal services	33%
7	Technology	26%

Table 2: Least accessible subsectors per sector

For each of the (up to 3) sectors they had selected as the least accessible, respondents were then asked in which (single) sector they experienced the most barriers or accessibility issues when trying to buy or use products or services. This table shows the 3 least accessible subsectors in each sector. 

Sector	1	2	3
Retail	Grocery shops (37%)	Clothing and shoe shops (32%)	Convenience stores (22%)
Entertainment and hospitality	Restaurants, cafés (24%)	UK Holiday accommodation (21%)	Cinema’s, arena’s, theatre (19%)
Wellbeing	Hairdressers, barbers, beauticians (35%)	Dental care (19%)	Eye care (8%)
Household goods and services	White goods and appliances (23%)	Energy and utilities (16%)	Repair and maintenance (13%)
Couriers and deliveries	Online shopping deliveries (29%)	Sending and returning products and services (28%)	Medicines and medical devices (17%)
Sports and exercise	Gym and leisure centers (65%)	Exercise classes (13%)	Attending sports events (10%)
Financial and legal	Banking products and services (56%)	Insurance products and services (13%)	Lawyers and legal advice (10%)
Technology	Phones, computers, tablets (41%)	Internet services and hardware (22%)	TV hardware and software (14%)

Table 3: Experience of barriers by income level 

The proportion of respondents experiencing barriers or accessibility issues over the last 12 months when trying to use a product or service, by sector and income bracket. Respondents could select multiple sectors (N=1,154).

Sector	Low income (£15,599 per year or less)	Medium income (£15,600 to £36,399 per year)	High income (£36,400 a year or more)
Retail	66%	63%	61%
Entertainment and hospitality	55%	61%	52%
Wellbeing	53%	44%	53%
Sports and exercise	30%	36%	40%
Financial and legal	31%	35%	34%
Couriers and deliveries	37%	39%	29%
Household goods and services	41%	34%	28%
Technology	27%	25%	22%

Table 4: Experience of barriers by gender

The proportion of respondents experiencing barriers or accessibility issues when buying or using a product or service, by sector and gender. Respondents could select all sectors that applied (N=1,380). 

Sector	Women	Men
Retail	68%	59%
Entertainment and hospitality	60%	52%
Wellbeing	55%	37%
Sports and exercise	37%	30%
Financial and legal	31%	35%
Couriers and deliveries	37%	35%
Household goods and services	38%	33%
Technology	26%	25%

Table 5: Experience of barriers by age group

The proportion of respondents experiencing barriers or accessibility issues when buying or using a product or service, by sector and age group. Respondents could select all sectors that applied (N=1,378).

Sector	State pension age	Working age
Retail	61%	67%
Entertainment and hospitality	60%	57%
Wellbeing	39%	53%
Sports and exercise	29%	38%
Financial and legal	26%	35%
Couriers and deliveries	34%	37%
Household goods and services	39%	36%
Technology	25%	26%

Table 6: Experience of barriers by impairment

Proportion of respondents experiencing barriers or accessibility issues when trying to use a product or service, by impairment type. Respondents could select all sectors that applied (N=1,404).

Sector	Vision	Hearing	Mobility	Dexterity	Learning	Memory	Mental health	Stamina	Social
Retail	68%	61%	72%	80%	71%	75%	72%	78%	68%
Entertainment and hospitality	55%	52%	65%	68%	60%	61%	55%	66%	58%
Wellbeing	52%	48%	51%	61%	62%	57%	57%	56%	62%
Sports and exercise	34%	32%	38%	41%	45%	37%	40%	40%	53%
Financial and legal services	44%	43%	32%	38%	44%	43%	38%	36%	45%
Couriers, delivery and postal services	43%	41%	40%	46%	47%	45%	42%	45%	38%
Household goods and services	47%	39%	39%	48%	50%	48%	41%	47%	43%
Technology	47%	35%	25%	30%	44%	37%	29%	29%	33%

Table 7: Access barriers at each stage in the customer journey

For the least accessible subsector, each of the (up to 3) sectors respondents had selected as the least accessible, respondents were asked at which stage they had experienced the most significant barriers. Results are aggregated and presented at the sector level in the table below. Respondents could select as many stages as applied.

Sector	Searching for and researching the products or services	Finding accessibility information on a specific product or service	Travelling to and from buying or using the product or service	Buying the product or service	Using or accessing the product or service	Dealing with customer services post purchase	Returning faulty or badly advertised products	Other
Wellbeing	29%	35%	38%	21%	58%	11%	9%	5%
Finance and Legal	22%	40%	37%	23%	46%	27%	7%	8%
Retail	23%	21%	38%	42%	41%	14%	15%	7%
Technology	36%	50%	24%	35%	50%	37%	20%	6%
Sport and exercise	19%	43%	31%	18%	71%	15%	4%	4%
Entertainment and hospitality	23%	52%	29%	19%	65%	16%	3%	6%
Household goods and services	33%	38%	22%	30%	38%	30%	14%	11%
Couriers and delivery services	16%	21%	26%	17%	36%	30%	30%	20%

Table 8: Specific access barriers

For the least accessible subsector in each of the (up to 3) sectors they had selected as the least accessible, respondents were asked to select the particular barriers they faced from a multiple choice list. Results are aggregated and presented at the sector level in the table below. Respondents could select as many as applied.

Sector	The building, space or environment was inaccessible	There were extra or additional costs	The business offered information or communication in ways or formats that were not accessible	People expressed negative attitudes towards me in what they said or what they did	There are a lack of rules, laws or regulation which could enforce accessible practices	The online services or technology equipment was inaccessible	The business had inaccessible policies or ways of working	The design of the product itself was not accessible or lacked accessibility features
Wellbeing	68%	26%	14%	26%	27%	7%	16%	26%
Finance and legal	39%	28%	33%	28%	21%	26%	28%	21%
Retail	73%	18%	14%	32%	30%	8%	20%	24%
Technology	15%	34%	42%	27%	25%	39%	19%	36%
Sport and exercise	61%	32%	15%	39%	35%	8%	22%	41%
Entertainment and hospitality	80%	24%	15%	28%	39%	10%	23%	38%
Household goods and services	24%	42%	22%	31%	24%	19%	22%	26%
Couriers and delivery services	26%	30%	20%	31%	24%	22%	36%	17%

Table 9: Mode of access by sector

For the least accessible subsector in each of the (up to 3) sectors they had selected as the least accessible, respondents were asked to select the channel they used to access that subsector. Results are aggregated and presented at the sector level below. Respondents could select as many as applied.

Sectors	In person	Online	Phone	Post	Other
Retail	86%	40%	6%	5%	3%
Entertainment and hospitality	75%	28%	13%	1%	5%
Wellbeing	78%	29%	10%	2%	6%
Household goods and services	55%	48%	26%	5%	7%
Couriers, delivery, and postal services	36%	71%	15%	0%	4%
Sports and exercise	88%	15%	6%	2%	6%
Financial and legal services	59%	62%	40%	6%	5%
Technology	51%	53%	32%	6%	6%

Table 10: Access barriers in retail subsectors

Those who selected retail as one of their top 3 most inaccessible sectors were asked to identify the retail subsectors in which they experienced barriers when buying or using products and services. Respondents could select multiple answers (N=654).

Rank	Retail subsectors	Experienced barriers
1	Clothing and shoe shops and products	78%
2	Groceries and grocery shopping	76%
3	Convenience stores	60%
4	Leisure Retail	40%
5	Parenting products and services	6%
6	Other	6%

Table 11: Access barriers in entertainment and hospitality subsectors 

Those who selected entertainment and hospitality as one of their top 3 most inaccessible sectors were asked to identify the entertainment and hospitality subsectors in which they experienced barriers when buying or using products and services. Respondents could select multiple subsectors (N=564).

Rank	Entertainment subsectors	Has access barriers
1	Restaurants, cafes and food establishments	73%
2	Cinemas, concerts, theatres and performances	68%
3	UK holiday accommodation	58%
4	Pubs, bars and nightclubs	55%
5	Events and festivals	54%
6	Historical sites, buildings, gardens and nature reserves	49%
7	Experiences and attractions	40%
8	Museums, exhibits and galleries that charge an entry fee	29%
9	Amusements	25%
10	TV and video on demand	11%
11	Children’s entertainment	9%
12	Books, news and content providers	8%
13	Other	5%

Table 12: Access barriers in wellbeing subsectors

Those who selected wellbeing, personal care and beauty as one of their top 3 most inaccessible sectors were asked to identify the wellbeing subsectors in which they experienced barriers when buying or using products and services. Respondents could select multiple subsectors (N=407).

Rank	Wellbeing subsectors	Has access barriers
1	Hairdressers, barbers and beauticians	68%
2	Dental care	53%
3	Eye care	39%
4	Mobility aids	29%
5	Medicines and medical devices	25%
6	Cosmetics	22%
7	Private physiotherapy and podiatrists	22%
8	Personal hygiene	21%
9	Holistic therapies	18%
10	Personal care assistive aids	16%
11	Private counselling, talking therapy and coaching	16%
12	Assistive devices	9%
13	Other	4%

Table 13: Access barriers in household goods and services subsectors 

Those who selected household goods and services as one of their top 3 most inaccessible sectors were asked to identify the subsectors in which they experienced barriers when buying or using products and services. Respondents could select multiple subsectors (N=187).

Rank	Household subsectors	Has access barriers
1	White goods and kitchen appliances	53%
2	Repair and maintenance providers	41%
3	Home improvement and DIY	37%
4	Energy and utilities	37%
5	Adapted or accessible home aids	34%
6	Home furnishings	31%
7	Cleaners and cleaning	29%
8	Gardening equipment	25%
9	Energy saving	19%
10	Safety equipment and services	18%
11	Pet and animal products or services	14%
12	Other	6%

Table 14: Access barriers in courier and delivery services subsectors

Those who selected couriers and delivery services as one of their top 3 most inaccessible sectors were asked to identify the courier and delivery subsectors in which they experienced barriers when buying or using products and services. Respondents could choose multiple subsectors (N=231).

Rank	Couriers and delivery subsectors	Has access barriers
1	Online shopping delivery services	58%
2	Sending and returning parcel services	48%
3	Grocery delivery services	33%
4	Medication and prescription delivery services	31%
5	Takeaway food delivery services	23%
6	Other	8%

Table 15: Access barriers in sports and exercise subsectors

Those who selected sports and exercise as one of their top 3 most inaccessible sectors were asked to identify the sport and exercise subsectors in which they experienced barriers when buying or using products and services. Respondents could pick multiple subsectors (N=255).

Rank	Sports subsectors	Has access barriers
1	Gyms and leisure centres	85%
2	Exercise classes	48%
3	Team sports	29%
4	Solo sports and exercise	28%
4	Attending sporting events	28%
6	Other	6%

Table 16: Access barriers in financial and legal subsectors

Those who selected finance and legal as one of their top 3 most inaccessible sectors were asked to identify the finance and legal subsectors in which they experienced barriers when buying or using products and services. Respondents could select multiple answers (N=249).

Rank	Financial and legal subsectors	Has access barriers
1	Banking	74%
2	Insurance	33%
3	Lawyers, solicitors and legal advice	29%
4	Private pension	21%
5	Loan and mortgage	21%
6	Accountants and financial advice	14%
7	Funerals	9%
8	Other	5%

Table 17: Access barriers in technology subsectors

Respondents who selected technology as one of their top 3 most inaccessible sectors were asked to identify the technology subsectors in which they experienced barriers when buying or using products and services. Respondents could select multiple subsectors (N=162).

Rank	Technology subsectors	Has access barriers
1	Phone, computer or tablet hardware or software	71%
2	Internet and broadband hardware or software	56%
3	TV hardware or software	45%
4	Smart home devices	34%
5	Radio, headphones and speaker hardware or software	29%
6	Assistive technology	25%
7	Other	5%

Table 18: Workarounds or compromises by sector

For the least accessible subsector in the (up to 3) sectors that they selected as the least accessible, respondents were asked if they agreed or disagreed that they have to make workarounds or compromises due to inaccessibility. 

Results are aggregated and reported at the sector level in the table below.

‘Strongly disagree’ and ‘Somewhat disagree’ are combined into ‘Disagree’. ‘Strongly agree’ and ‘Somewhat agree’ are combined into ‘Agree’.

Sectors	Agree	Neutral	Disagree
Retail	88%	7%	5%
Entertainment and hospitality	87%	7%	6%
Wellbeing	82%	10%	8%
Household goods and services	83%	11%	5%
Couriers, deliveries and postal services	83%	12%	5%
Sport and exercise	81%	13%	6%
Financial and legal services	81%	12%	7%
Technology	78%	13%	9%

Table 19: Behaviour change by sector

For the least accessible subsector in the (up to 3) sectors that they selected as the least accessible, respondents were asked if they agreed or disagreed that they have had to make changes to their behaviour due to inaccessibility. 

Results are aggregated and reported at the sector level in the table below.

‘Strongly disagree’ and ‘Somewhat disagree’ are combined into ‘Disagree’. ‘Strongly agree’ and ‘Somewhat agree’ are combined into ‘Agree’.

Sectors	Agree	Neutral	Disagree
Retail	72%	15%	12%
Entertainment and hospitality	77%	13%	10%
Wellbeing	64%	19%	17%
Household goods and services	69%	20%	11%
Couriers, deliveries and postal services	72%	16%	12%
Sport and exercise	76%	18%	7%
Financial and legal services	69%	16%	15%
Technology	70%	15%	16%

Table 20: Impact on time by sector

For the least accessible subsector in the (up to 3) sectors that they selected as the least accessible, respondents were asked if they agreed or disagreed that they have had to spend more time than they otherwise would have done due to the inaccessibility of the sector.

Results are aggregated and reported at the sector level in the table below.

‘Strongly disagree’ and ‘Somewhat disagree’ have been combined into ‘Disagree’. ‘Strongly agree’ and ‘Somewhat agree’ have been combined into ‘Agree’.

Sectors	Agree	Neutral	Disagree
Retail	85%	10%	4%
Entertainment and hospitality	82%	14%	5%
Wellbeing	76%	15%	9%
Household goods and services	88%	9%	3%
Couriers, deliveries and postal services	81%	13%	7%
Sport and exercise	79%	16%	5%
Financial and legal services	81%	12%	7%
Technology	86%	8%	6%

Table 21: Impact on wellbeing by sector

For the least accessible subsector in the (up to 3) sectors that they selected as the least accessible, respondents were asked if they agreed or disagreed that inaccessibility has had a negative impact on their physical or mental wellbeing.

Results are aggregated and reported at the sector level in the table below.

‘Strongly disagree’ and ‘Somewhat disagree’ have been combined into ‘Disagree’. ‘Strongly agree’ and ‘Somewhat agree’ have been combined into ‘Agree’.

Sectors	Agree	Neutral	Disagree
Retail	75%	18%	7%
Entertainment and hospitality	83%	11%	6%
Wellbeing	73%	16%	11%
Household goods and services	78%	16%	6%
Couriers, deliveries and postal services	73%	20%	8%
Sport and exercise	86%	12%	2%
Financial and legal services	76%	16%	8%
Technology	76%	14%	10%

Table 22: Impact on cost by sector 

For the least accessible subsector in the (up to 3) sectors that they selected as the least accessible, respondents were asked if they agreed or disagreed that they have had to spend more money than they otherwise would have done due to inaccessibility.

Results are aggregated and reported at the sector level in the table below.

‘Strongly disagree’ and ‘Somewhat disagree’ have been combined into ‘Disagree’. ‘Strongly agree’ and ‘Somewhat agree’ have been combined into ‘Agree’.

Sectors	Agree	Neutral	Disagree
Retail	62%	27%	11%
Entertainment and hospitality	55%	32%	13%
Wellbeing	56%	27%	16%
Household goods and services	73%	19%	8%
Couriers, deliveries and postal services	54%	31%	15%
Sport and exercise	53%	31%	15%
Financial and legal services	60%	27%	13%
Technology	57%	30%	13%

Table 23: Impact by income bracket

This table shows the overall impact of inaccessibility of products and services, by income bracket. ‘Minimal impact’ and ‘moderate impact’ are combined into ‘low impact’. ‘Severe impact’ and ‘major impact’ are combined into ‘high impact’. 

Impact	Low income (£15,599 per year or less)	Medium income (£15,600 to £36,399 per year)	High income (£36,400 a year or more)
High	57%	46%	40%
Low	40%	51%	57%
No impact	3%	3%	3%

Table 24: Impact by impairment group

This table shows the overall impact of inaccessibility of products and services, by impairment group. ‘Minimal impact’ and ‘moderate impact’ are combined into ‘low impact’. ‘Severe impact’ and ‘major impact’ are combined into ‘high impact’. 

Impact	Dexterity	Hearing	Learning	Memory	Mental health	Mobility	Social	Stamina	Vision	Other
High	60%	49%	62%	58%	58%	53%	58%	59%	52%	51%
Low	39%	46%	37%	40%	40%	44%	41%	39%	44%	46%
No impact	1%	5%	2%	2%	2%	2%	1%	2%	3%	3%

Table 25: Impact by age group

This table shows the overall impact of inaccessibility of products and services, by age group. ‘Minimal impact’ and ‘moderate impact’ are combined into ‘low impact’. ‘Severe impact’ and ‘major impact’ are combined into ‘high impact’. 

Impact	18 to 65 years	66 years and older
High	52%	41%
Low	45%	55%
No impact	4%	3%

Table 26: Impact by gender

This table shows the overall impact of inaccessibility of products and services, by gender. ‘Minimal impact’ and ‘moderate impact’ are combined into ‘low impact’. ‘Severe impact’ and ‘major impact’ are combined into ‘high impact’. 

Impact	Women	Men
High	52%	42%
Low	46%	53%
No impact	2%	5%

Table 27: Impact by area type

This table shows the overall impact of inaccessibility of products and services, by area type. ‘Minimal impact’ and ‘moderate impact’ are combined into ‘low impact’. ‘Severe impact’ and ‘major impact’ are combined into ‘high impact’. 

Impact	Urban	Rural	Suburban
High	50%	46%	50%
Low	46%	51%	47%
No impact	4%	2%	3%

Table 28: Impact by digital confidence

This table shows the overall impact of inaccessibility of products and services, by digital confidence. ‘Minimal impact’ and ‘moderate impact’ are combined into ‘low impact’. ‘Severe impact’ and ‘major impact’ are combined into ‘high impact’. 

Impact	High digital confidence	Neutral	Low digital confidence
High	48%	45%	59%
Low	48%	55%	39%
No impact	3%	1%	2%

Table 29: Confidence in improved accessibility in the 12 months following the survey

For the least accessible subsector in the (up to 3) sectors that they selected as the least accessible, respondents were asked how confident they were that they would be able to find products and services that meet their needs in the 12 months following the survey.

Results are aggregated and reported at the sector level in the table below.

‘Very doubtful’ and ‘Somewhat doubtful’ were combined into ‘Low confidence’. ‘Very confident’ and ‘Somewhat confident’ were combined into ‘High confidence’.

Sectors	Low confidence	Neutral	High confidence
Retail (N=651)	64%	21%	16%
Entertainment and hospitality (N=562)	63%	20%	16%
Wellbeing (N=406)	59%	20%	21%
Household goods and services (N=187)	62%	19%	19%
Couriers, deliveries and postal services (N=230)	60%	24%	17%
Sport and exercise (N=254)	71%	15%	14%
Financial and legal services (N=248)	62%	25%	13%
Technology (N=160)	61%	15%	24%