Maybe the UK is very different from the US but I find I use cash more now than I used to since I got into buying used items from private parties. This includes cars, farm equipment, mowers, camera equipment / lenses, and more. If you’re at auctions you get a discount for paying cash (which honestly I think is a bit of a scam, but there it is), same for buying gas at a gas station. If you’re at a swap meet or the like, or a yard sale - no one is setting up a square account or something, nor do they want to deal with your paypal or venmo or whatever. They want you to give them $10 or whatever and take the used item.
So - some of this I’m sure is the limits of the US banking system, but also no one wants to need to do extra IRS paperwork for a one time sale of something. Yes, a lot of it is “dodging taxes”, but I also see the other side - if I’m selling my old books and that bike I haven’t used in a decade in a once a year or less yardsale - it’s a little ridiculous to need to do sales and income taxes on each $2-$50 item that would be required with digital payments.
Well. I rarely use cash in stores or restaurants, but I also see it for local chicken BBQs or little town fairs - the local legion or whatever doesn’t have a portable card machine…