Being online ‘more vital’ than toilets

More people would rather live without a flushing toilet than Facebook or e-mail, a new study revealed yesterday.

A study of 3,000 adults found more people rate their mobile phone as vital to everyday life than a shower or central heating. Google was also rated more highly than having a car.

Sunshine was the top thing most people felt they couldn’t live without with internet connection in second place, clean drinking water third, a fridge in fourth and Facebook in fifth place. Other necessities were the NHS in sixth place, followed by a cooker. E-mail came eighth, while a flushing toilet was ninth. A mobile phone completed the top ten.

The study was carried out by the Science Museum for new exhibition, Water Wars: Fight the food crisis, which highlights the need for fresh water to grow crops.