Britons 'not ready' for new technology such as driverless cars and robots

A study into our attitudes towards cutting edge technology such as autonomous vehicles found that almost half of us (47%) would not sit in such a car.

The Digital Pulse report, commissioned by digital insights firm Readie, also found that 62% of those surveyed would not let a robot take care of family members.

The news comes as the Government has announced plans to increase research funding into robotics as part of the Budget.

Readie boss Valerie Mocker said fears over security and having the skills to use new technology were fuelling public scepticism towards some innovation.

"The rapid pace of digital change in our economy offers huge potential," she said.

"But on a practical level, the public feel they lack the skills and knowledge needed to engage with digitalisation in a more advanced way.

"Our research showed some concerning divisions within society. British women and older generations were less willing or confident than men or younger adults to use new use technology."

Readie's research also suggests that only 28% of UK consumers would be willing to abolish cash in favour of digital currency, despite figures from the UK Cards Association that show the number of contactless cards in use rose more than 25% between 2015 and 2016 - with more than 102 million contactless cards now in use in the UK.

"There also remains anxiety around the security of data," Ms Mocker said.

"These problems will need to be addressed by policymakers and businesses before the full potential of digitalisation can be realised."

More than half of those surveyed (54%) said cyber crime and hacking were the biggest problems with the internet and wider technological advances, and that the Government should make public protection from cyber attacks a priority.

However, 78% of those surveyed in the UK said the positives of the internet outweighed the negatives.