Household Digital Consumer Behaviour 2023

Introduction

This chapter looks at the use of the internet for skills acquisition and online learning.  A range of different skills, some of them more complex than others (for example changing software settings) are performed by internet users, with younger persons more likely to do so than older persons.  There has a been decrease in online training, perhaps tailing back from the experiences of COVID-19 restrictions, but a quarter of internet users still engage with online training.

Downloading/installing software or apps remains carried out by 6 in 10 internet users

Key findings of internet users who used the internet in the last three months:

• Six in ten (59%) have downloaded or installed software or apps, slightly down on 2021 when these questions were last asked (61% in 2021). See Table 4.1 and PX Stat Table ICA193 for comparisons with 2022.
• Three quarters (75%) of persons aged between 30 and 44 years installed software or apps in the previous three months, compared with just 46% of internet users in the 60 to 74 years age group. Males were far more likely to carry out this activity – over two thirds of males (67%) compared with 54% of females. See Figure 4.1.
• Changing the settings on any software (including operational systems and security programs) was carried out by 47% of respondents, unchanged from 2021. Males were more likely than females to carry out this activity in 2021 – 51% of males compared with 44% of females. Just 32% of internet users aged 60 to 74 years carried out this activity compared with 58% of persons aged between 30 and 44 years. 
• Other high-level skills include writing code in a programming language which was carried out by just 7% of individuals. Males were twice as likely than females to carry out this activity – 10% of males compared with 5% of females. 
• Over four in ten (45%) used spreadsheets, while only 25% used more advanced spreadsheet functions to organise and analyse data such as sorting, filtering, using functions, creating charts, etc.
• Over four in ten (43%) of internet users used software to edit photos, videos or audio files, for uploading to their social media networks, or for other private use. Our survey results show that prevalence of this activity decreases with age, with 55% of persons aged 30 to 44 years, compared with 30% of persons in the 60 to 74 years age group.

Decrease in formal online training but communicating online with educators/instructors up

Key findings of internet users who used the internet in the last three months:

• Online formal training decreased in 2023 – one quarter (25%) internet users (31%) reported doing an online course in 2023, a decrease of six percentage points on the same period in 2022, with females marginally more likely than males to do a course online course (such as audio-visual materials, online learning software, electronic textbooks) – one quarter (25%) of females compared with 23% of males. See Figure 4.2, Table 4.2 and PX Stat Table ICA145 for comparisons with 2022.
• Using online learning material learning material and resources to aid their learning (including audio-visual materials, online learning software, electronic textbooks, etc.) other than a complete online course, also decreased, albeit a small decrease – 36% internet users compared with 38% in 2022. Males and females were equally likely to use this form of online learning (36%). 
• Communicating online with educators/instructors using audio or video online tools such as Zoom, MS Teams, Google Classroom, Seesaw, Edmodo, etc.) increased in 2023 – 23% of internet users compared with one in five (20%) in 2022.
• Analysis of the 2023 data by age shows that 34% of the 30 to 44 years age group did a course online, while one in eight (13%) older internet users aged 60 to 74 years did a course online in 2023. For persons whose principal economic status was at work, 34% reported doing a course online, a decrease of two percentage points on the same period in 2022. 
• The 2023 survey data shows that there was a greater prevalence of this type of learning activity in households with children. Over half (52%) of internet users in lone parent households used online learning material such as audio-visual materials, online learning software, elec-tronic textbooks, etc., while this learning resource was used by 48% of persons in households of two adults with children, compared with 30% of respondents living alone.