Britain's 'chic geeks' lead Europe

The British are the geekiest people in Europe judging by their rate of trying out new technology, according to a new study.

Around 11 per cent of the population are identified as 'innovators' because they try out groundbreaking technology, compared with a European average of six per cent. And only 19 per cent of the British were deemed to be 'laggards' who are technological stick-in-the-muds.

Germany's high-tech reputation took something of a battering with 41 per cent of the population identified as laggards and just four per cent as innovators. Business consultancy RISC International, based in Geneva and Paris, came up with the figures by tracing how technological innovations spread in Europe, and at what speed.

Managing director Sharon Greene said there had been a change in the image of innovators as geeks lacking social skills and "excessively absorbed in a specialist field".

She said: "Today, the geek is cool. Driven by the social aspects of the internet, the modern geek has fine tuned social skills. In a society where information overload has become an everyday reality, he or she is a valued resource, a shortcut through the information fog to in-depth knowledge, the person people turn to when they need help with technological problems or buying decisions.”

"They are also pivotal in the dissemination of new technologies. They are forever trying out new gizmos and gadgets. Combine this with their tendency to share their opinion over the internet almost instantly and to anyone worldwide – and don’t forget, the geek is a trusted source – it is easy to see why they are so influential.”