Four in 10 daily Internet users are almost constantly online, says CSO
More than nine in 10 (94%) Internet users go online daily, and of these, 43% use it all the time or nearly all the time – an increase of 8% from 2021.
This is according to the Central Statistics Office’s (CSO) Internet Coverage and Usage in Ireland 2022, which is the fourth and final publication of a series of publications presenting the results of the annual Information & Communications Technology Household Survey.
Nearly all Internet users aged between 16 and 44 years used the Internet every day or almost every day, compared with 95% of users aged 45 to 59. Of those aged between 60 and 74 years, 85% used the Internet every day or almost every day, while almost two thirds (65%) aged 75 years and over used the were online daily or almost daily.
Students were the most frequent users of the internet in 2022 with 97% going online at least several times a day.
Household Internet connectivity was highest for the Dublin region (97%), compared with the Border region (90%). Of households in Dublin with Internet access, more than nine in 10 were via fixed broadband (92%), compared with 77% in the border region.
It found that just 7% of persons aged 16 years and older had never used the internet, predominantly older persons as 45% of persons aged 75 and over have never used the internet. This compared with just 1% of persons aged 30 to 44 years, and 3% of persons aged 45 to 59 years, who have never used the internet. All persons aged 16 to 29 years have used the internet within the previous three months.
Of the 6% of households with no internet access, the most common reason cited by 56% of those households was that they do not need the internet. One third (32%) reported lack of skills or knowledge as a reason for not having household internet access. Equipment costs and access costs being too high were cited by 10% and 7% of households respectively, while just 2% of households stated privacy/security concerns. Meanwhile, 7% said broadband was not available in their area.
“Our everyday lives are becoming far more digital, and in 2022, we were online more than ever and relying on technology and digital services,” said Maureen Delamere, statistician in the social analysis division. “At an overall level, more than nine in 10 (92%) persons aged 16 years and older were recent users (used within the three months prior to survey), an increase of two percentage points from 2021.
“Daily usage similarly increased – 94% went online every day or almost every day, up five percentage points on 2021. Only 7% of people aged 16 years and older had never used the Internet, although this was predominantly among older people where 45% of persons aged 75 and over had never used the Internet.”
Delamere continued: “As our lives have become more digital, we are accessing the internet more frequently on a daily basis. Of daily Internet users, more than four in ten (43%) use it all the time or nearly all the time, up eight percentage points on 2021.
“In 2022, nearly six in 10 (57%) younger persons aged 16 to 29 years used the Internet almost constantly – 24% used it all the time, while a further one-third (33%) used it nearly all the time. Students were the most frequent users of the internet in 2022. All students used the internet every day or almost every day. Of these daily Internet users, the vast majority (97%) went online at least several times a day: 33% used the Internet several times a day, a further 38% of students used the internet nearly all the time, and more than one-quarter (26%) used the Internet all the time.”
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