The three-country study of online users found the majority would miss their computer most if they were stranded on a desert island.
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Researchers at AOL Europe and Roper Starch Worldwide also found UK consumers were the most prolific online shoppers, with more than half of Internet users claiming to shop either regularly or occasionally online.
Interviews with a total of 1,500 users across the UK, Germany and France found that half believed the Internet was now a "necessity" in their lives, and more than six in 10 claimed it made their lives better.
The study also indicated an explosion in the number of users, with more than one in three of those questioned having started to use the Internet in the past year.
More than half of the users questioned said they had purchased goods and services online, and over three-quarters agreed that everyone should now know how to surf the net.
But less than half said they kept in touch with people in other European countries by e-mail.
Michael Lynton, president of AOL International, said: "This study makes it crystal clear that the online boom in Europe is still just getting started."
PA