Eight in 10 Brits yearn for the simpler times of their youth- when TV was just four channels, face-to-face interactions were the norm and music was listened to on CD, tape or vinyl. A poll of 2,000 adults found 35% feel nostalgic for paying with cash, while 24% long for the days of picking up the phone to actually speak to someone.

It emerged 20% pine for chatting with a shop clerk, 25% look back fondly on having their milk delivered, and 28% miss the ritual of renting a VHS tape. And for a fifth, the delivery of the local newspaper is something they wish was still popular. However, 39% ultimately admitted things have changed for the better - with 75% believing technology has lifted the burden of many everyday tasks.

Among the modern tools they rely on most are the smartphone, tablet, and smart meter, which help make daily life more manageable in today's world, according to the survey commissioned by Smart Energy GB.

Joy, 62, from London, who has experienced a lot of these changes first-hand, said: "I can't remember what it was like before smartphones or digital maps when I travelled somewhere new.

"I just had to try and work it out. If I was abroad, I'd carry around a phrase book and sometimes, that was a lifesaver! Even paying an energy bill was much more of a hassle when I first moved out."

Joy now has a smart meter and said it has made life a lot easier: "I used to have to go to a post office or the bank to do it. And if I got the reading wrong, it was a real pain."

Now it sends her meter readings automatically. She added: "After I got it, I tried using a price comparison website and easily found a tariff that suited me better, but the best bit was how easy it is now to switch energy supplier, if I want to."

A third agree that certain changes have made everday life more convenient. Yet to keep some older traditions alive, 53% still write things down with a pen and paper, and 37% will tuck into foods or snacks they enjoyed as a child.

Nearly six in 10 feel life was less rushed in years gone by, and 50% found fewer distractions. For more than a third, entertainment like watching a weekly TV show felt like a 'special collective experience'.

Other things adults miss from yesteryear included reading a physical map or an A-Z to get somewhere and browsing physical catalogues.

But 49% reckon everyday services have become easier to access in terms of information, and 34% can get things done more quickly than they used to.

Checking bank balances (54%), making payments (50%) and catching up on TV programmes (42%) were the top things that have been made easier in recent years.

While 42% reckoned it is now easier to book a holiday away, and 38% find it simpler to pay energy bills, according to the OnePoll.com data.