The survey, which was commissioned by Communisis, also found there was an ongoing desire from 49% of respondents for printed statements, in order to keep a track of finances and to file for personal records.

Alistair Blaxill, executive director at Communisis, said: "Our research shows that while people enjoy the obvious benefits of digital communications, there is still a clear demand for printed statements.

"This presents huge opportunities for sectors that need to provide transactional information to their customers including the financial, retail, home shopping, telecoms and utility sectors."

According to the survey, 15% of those polled did not trust the use of online banking, with men showing a stronger propensity for printed statements than women (54% for men versus 47% for women).

Furthermore, the survey claimed a "direct correlation" between affluence and the number of paper statements received per month, with 31% of the "most affluent" consumers receiving four to six statements per month, versus 20% of the "least affluent" people.