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Frequency of Internet Usage

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In 2019, an estimated 88% of individuals were recent internet users (used the internet in the three months prior to the interview), while 11% of individuals had never used the internet. Almost eight in every ten (79%) recent internet users used the internet every day. See Tables 3.1 and 3.2.

Almost all (99%) of persons in the 16 to 29 years age group used the internet within the three months prior to interview, compared with just 68% of individuals aged 60 to 74 years. Nine in every ten (90%) females used the internet within the last three months, compared with 85% of males. See Table 3.1.

Table 3.1 Individuals' use of the internet classified by broad frequency of use, 2018 and 2019

There is very little difference between the percentage of females and males who were daily internet users, 80% of females compared with 78% of males. Nearly all (97%) Students use the internet daily, compared with just 54% of Retired persons. Of the 16 to 29 years age category, most internet users (96%) accessed the internet every day while only 53% of internet users in the 60 to 74 years age group accessed it daily. By comparison, 93% of internet users in the 30 to 44 years age group accessed the internet daily. See Table 3.2.

Table 3.2 Individuals who use of the internet classified by detailed frequency of use, 2019

Of those persons who used the internet every day, 58% used the internet Several times a day, while 16% used the internet Nearly all the time and 3% stated that they used the internet All the time. Students were the most frequent users of the internet, 54% used the internet Several times a day while a further 31% of Students used the internet Nearly all the time and 5% used the internet All the time. By comparison, 9% of Retired persons who are daily internet users, used the internet Nearly all the time, while 33% used the internet Briefly 1 or 2 times a daySee Table 3.3 and Figure 3.1.

All the timeNearly all of the timeSeveral times a dayBriefly 1 or 2 times a day
16-295285611
30-444186216
45-592125927
60-74165044
Table 3.3 Individuals who use the internet every day classified by the frequency of their daily use, 2019

In 2019, Mobile phones or smartphones were used to access the internet away from home or work by 88% of individuals. Most (97%) individuals aged 16 to 29 years used Mobile phones or smartphones to access the internet away from home or work in comparison to just 70% of persons in the 60 to 74 years age group. In the Dublin region, 91% of individuals who used the internet in the last three months, used a Mobile phone or smartphone to access the internet away from home or work. When accessing the internet away from home or work, 38% of individuals used a laptop, while 26% of individuals used a tablet. Note that respondents may use multiple devices to access the internet away from home or work. See Table 3.4 and Figure 3.2.

Type of device used20182019
Mobile phone (or smartphone)8588
Laptop2038
Tablet1626
Other devices38
Didn't access internet away from home or work118
Table 3.4 Individuals who recently used the internet (in the last 3 months) away from home or work classified by type of device used, 2018 and 2019

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