Electronic Commerce in Canada

Highlights from the 2005 Canadian Internet Use Survey (CIUS)

Based on The Daily, August 15, 2006, Statistics Canada

How many Canadians were online during 2005?

  • 68% of the population (18 years and over) used the Internet during the 12 months prior to the survey.
  • Internet use (on a provincial basis) is generally more intensive in the west as opposed to the east of the country. However, only three provinces had usage rates above the national average - Ontario (72%), Alberta (71%) and B.C. (69%).
  • This translates into a figure of 61% of households connected to the Internet.

How does rural residence Internet use compare to urban residence Internet use?

Urban Residents= 71%, Rural/Remote Area Residents = 58%

What are the key Digital Divide indicators from the CIUS?

  • The survey results show that a gap remains in Internet use among certain groups of people.

The key Digital Divide variables are:

Children in the household: Yes=81%; No=61%. Aged between 18-44: Yes=85%; No=50%. Has post-secondary education: Yes=80%; No=49%. Household income of $86000 or more: Yes=88%; No=61%.

From what location and how do Canadians access the internet?

  • Adults' non-business Internet access locations:

Home=90%, Work=39%, School, public library or other location=30%

  • Type of Internet access at home:

Cable=50%, DSL=26%, Dial-up=18%, Other=6%

  • Only 18% of all home users (or 2.7 million) reported they did not use a high-speed connection. A third of these reported that high-speed Internet service as not available in their area with a vast majority of these users (70%) living in smaller towns or rural areas.

What are Canadians using the Internet for in 2005?

  • E-mail - 91%
  • General browsing - 84%
  • Weather or road conditions - 67%
  • Travel information or making travel arrangements - 63%
  • News or sports - 62%
  • Electronic banking - 58%
  • Pay bills - 55%
  • Online window shopping - 57%
  • Order goods and services - 43%
  • Communicate with governments - 23%
  • Advanced WWW applications
    • 38% chat or use a messenger
    • 37% obtain or save music
    • 12% reported download or watch TV over the Internet

What are Canadian attitudes towards Internet security and privacy?

  • Almost three-quarters of survey respondents (both users and non-users) said they were either concerned (33%) or very concerned (40%) about privacy and security.
  • 57% of Canadians were very concerned about Internet credit card use.
  • For non-Internet users who have a personal computer or device that can access the Internet, the reasons for not having an Internet access at home were:

No interest=29%, No need=25%, Too costly=16%, Too difficult to use=12%.

Source: Statistics Canada, The Canadian Internet Use Survey (CIUS), 2005.
Release date: August 15, 2006