Household PC use up 40pc


25 Nov 2003

Irish households with PCs have risen by almost 40pc in the past three years, according to new research from the Central Statistics Office (CSO). Almost one million people in Ireland use a computer once a week.

The CSO figures show that the number of households with PCs increased to 576,500 by June 2003, up from 416,900 in June 2000.

Over the same period, the number of households with a PC with internet access rose 75pc to reach 458,700 households.

The CSO figures also revealed that 263,000 workers use the internet outside the workplace for work-related activities, such as finding information, accessing files on the employer’s server or for accessing email.

One in six internet users, the CSO figures state, use the net to buy or order goods, with airline tickets and holiday accommodation, books, videos, DVDs and tickets being the most popular goods purchased.

According to the CSO, more than 980,000 people use the internet every week, and 340,000 use it every day. The most common place of use was in the home at 68pc of users, followed by places of work at 42.5pc.

The highest levels of computer ownership were in the Dublin and mid-east areas, where more than 50pc of homes had computers, compared to the national average of 42pc.

By John Kennedy