With just one year to go before the first UK TV region loses its analogue TV signal to digital, now is the time for consumers to start gearing up for the digital switchover.

The latest progress report published by industry regulator Ofcom and Digital UK, the organisation leading the UK's switch to digital, painted a picture of a nation ready to switch.

Yet a new survey by leading independent comparison and switching site uSwitch.com reveals that 83% of adults in the UK are not fully prepared for this change. 

80% of UK adults already have digital TV in their home, yet:

• Over 8 out of 10 adults do not know when the analogue signal will be turned off in their region.
• 57% of adults (26 million) believe the Government has not done enough to keep people informed of the switch.
• Less than one in five of adults know when their region will ‘go digital'.
• A gap of up to 4 years exists between when regions think they will go digital and when they actually will.
• 12 million adults (nearly a quarter) wrongly believe that they may need a new TV set for the digital switchover.
• Only 1 in 6 adults are aware of all the ways they can receive digital TV.
• The older generation has a better grasp of digital technology with 17% of over 55’s aware of all the ways to switch to digital, compared to just 11% of the 18-24 year olds.

Despite an intensive advertising campaign and the launch of a dedicated digital television website, it appears that the government’s message is struggling to get through. Over half of adults in the UK believe that the government has provided insufficient or no information on how and why this switch will happen.

Less than a fifth of adults knew which year their region would lose its analogue signal to digital. Generally, people believe that their region is being switched over earlier than it actually will be. The greatest information gap was revealed in Ulster, where the most popular guess was 2008 for the switchover, when it is in fact due four years later in 2012.

The uSwitch.com poll reveals that there is not only a lack of awareness of when the switch will happen but how consumers can prepare for it. Only 17% of adults fully understand the ways they can ensure they stay switched on. 

Nearly a quarter of people are so ill-informed they could potentially end up throwing money down the drain by thinking they need to buy a brand new TV set in preparation for the switch, when in fact any TV with a SCART connection will be able to receive a digital signal.

Steve Weller, head of Communication Services at uSwitch, commented: “Although the switch to digital will be good news for viewers, it is worrying to see that consumers are still baffled as to how and when to switch.”

“The problems and confusion clearly arise in the fact that consumers do not know much about when the switchover will happen, what measures they need to take and how much this will cost them.”

“Our advice to consumers is to first establish when their region is scheduled to be switched over. Then, check online at either www.uswitch.com or www.digitaltelevision.gov.uk to see which digital services are available in their area. There’s a great choice available to suit different needs and budgets and, it’s highly unlikely that you will have to go out and buy a new TV set.”