Billy Florence - Canada Internet Use Grows
Canadian Online Commerce Grows
Canadian Internet use at home is holding strong with an estimated 16.8 million adult Canadians, or two thirds of adults, saying they frequently use the Internet at home. The biggest Canadian digital divide is geographic. Those living in larger cities are much more likely to use Internet than those in rural areas.
Looking at the total national numbers, Internet user growth appears flat, but a closer look reveals that time spent online by the most frequent users is trending up, plus Canadian consumer broadband use and purchasing activity is experiencing impressive double digit growth. Broadband growth leads to growth in online purchasing activity.
Lifestyle: Key lifestyle changes are reflected in areas such as news and personal finance. Financial activity that used to require a trip to the bank now only requires a trip to the keyboard. The Internet has changed the way many Canadians do banking and access news. Roughly 6 of every 10 Internet users use it to read news or sports or to conduct their banking online.
Frequency Up: Overall, two thirds of Canadians say they use the Internet in their homes for personal use "every day" (42%) or "a few times a week" (23%). Only one in four report never using the internet at home and two percent describe themselves as former internet home users.
Home Users: Those who use the Internet at home for personal reasons “every day" tend to be younger than general population (aged 18-34). These technophiles tend to be urban residents, male, slightly better educated, and affluent.
In general, Internet use rises provincially from east to west, with three provinces reporting usage rates above the national average — Ontario (72%), Alberta (71%) and British Columbia (69%); while only one in three residents of Quebec are Online users.
In terms of Internet and email use, the majority say their use of the Internet has stayed the same. However, among those whose usage has changed over the past year, nearly one-third say they are using the Internet and email more frequently rather than less frequently.
Sales Sore: Canadian interest and online buying habits are growing along with broadband growth. Statistics Canada estimates that total ecommerce sales were C$39.2 billion (US 32.4 billion) in 2005, up 38.4 percent from the previous year, thus making it the fourth consecutive year of ecommerce sales growth in Canada of 38 percent of more. More Canadian based businesses have launched their own web sites; the percentage of Canadian retailers with a Web site grew from 38 percent to 42 percent last year.
Security & Privacy Concerns: Concern for privacy and security on the Internet is very high but that concern has not impacted online behavior. Specifically, eight in ten Canadians who use the Internet at home for personal reasons say they are "very" (55%) or "somewhat" (27%) concerned about the issue.
However, while most Canadians who use the Internet at home are "very" concerned with online security, this concern has yet to impact their actual behavior. Moreover, most Canadians who use the Internet at home say the benefits and convenience of the Internet outweigh concerns of privacy and security. Just one third feels that issues of privacy and personal information are serious enough to cancel out the convenience and benefits of the Internet.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Canadian Ipsos-Reid Express Omnibus
© 2007 Florence News reprint permission to Billy Florence Team Dream Chasers site.
Canadian Internet use at home is holding strong with an estimated 16.8 million adult Canadians, or two thirds of adults, saying they frequently use the Internet at home. The biggest Canadian digital divide is geographic. Those living in larger cities are much more likely to use Internet than those in rural areas.
Looking at the total national numbers, Internet user growth appears flat, but a closer look reveals that time spent online by the most frequent users is trending up, plus Canadian consumer broadband use and purchasing activity is experiencing impressive double digit growth. Broadband growth leads to growth in online purchasing activity.
Lifestyle: Key lifestyle changes are reflected in areas such as news and personal finance. Financial activity that used to require a trip to the bank now only requires a trip to the keyboard. The Internet has changed the way many Canadians do banking and access news. Roughly 6 of every 10 Internet users use it to read news or sports or to conduct their banking online.
Frequency Up: Overall, two thirds of Canadians say they use the Internet in their homes for personal use "every day" (42%) or "a few times a week" (23%). Only one in four report never using the internet at home and two percent describe themselves as former internet home users.
Home Users: Those who use the Internet at home for personal reasons “every day" tend to be younger than general population (aged 18-34). These technophiles tend to be urban residents, male, slightly better educated, and affluent.
In general, Internet use rises provincially from east to west, with three provinces reporting usage rates above the national average — Ontario (72%), Alberta (71%) and British Columbia (69%); while only one in three residents of Quebec are Online users.
In terms of Internet and email use, the majority say their use of the Internet has stayed the same. However, among those whose usage has changed over the past year, nearly one-third say they are using the Internet and email more frequently rather than less frequently.
Sales Sore: Canadian interest and online buying habits are growing along with broadband growth. Statistics Canada estimates that total ecommerce sales were C$39.2 billion (US 32.4 billion) in 2005, up 38.4 percent from the previous year, thus making it the fourth consecutive year of ecommerce sales growth in Canada of 38 percent of more. More Canadian based businesses have launched their own web sites; the percentage of Canadian retailers with a Web site grew from 38 percent to 42 percent last year.
Security & Privacy Concerns: Concern for privacy and security on the Internet is very high but that concern has not impacted online behavior. Specifically, eight in ten Canadians who use the Internet at home for personal reasons say they are "very" (55%) or "somewhat" (27%) concerned about the issue.
However, while most Canadians who use the Internet at home are "very" concerned with online security, this concern has yet to impact their actual behavior. Moreover, most Canadians who use the Internet at home say the benefits and convenience of the Internet outweigh concerns of privacy and security. Just one third feels that issues of privacy and personal information are serious enough to cancel out the convenience and benefits of the Internet.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Canadian Ipsos-Reid Express Omnibus
© 2007 Florence News reprint permission to Billy Florence Team Dream Chasers site.
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