Two out of every three new Internet users are women

The number of Internet users in the A.C. of the Basque Country has increase by 63,900 persons, 9.2%, over the second quarter of 2006, reaching a figure of 755,100 persons as Internet users, 3.4 percentage points more than in the fourth quarter of 2005, according to Eustat data. With their incorporation to the web, 41% of the population aged 15 and over have connected to the Internet over the last three months.

This increase in Internet users applies above all to women, persons aged between 25 and 34 years and workers. On the one hand, it is the group of workers who contribute mostly to the census of Internet users: 47,600 persons; on the other, there is a gain of 21,400 users aged between 25 and 34. Furthermore, two out of every three new Internet users –67%– are women, by which the gap between sexes fell from 7.8 percentage points to 5.7.

Evolution of the population aged 15 and over by access to ict equipment in the home per quarter. 1999-2006.%

Source: EUSTAT

With regard to the evolution by provinces and parallel to the growth over the last six months in connections to the Internet in the home, the number of users increased considerably more in Bizkaia, as two out every three new years are from this province. However, Gipuzkoa continues to lead the rates of users with 42.3% and a increase of 2.1 percentage points, followed by Álava with 42.1% and an increase of 3.9 points. Bizkaia, with a 4 percentage point increase in Internet users, continues to have the lowest rate, 39.9%.

Internet users access the Internet mostly from their own home

The percentage of Internet users that access the Internet from the home, 75.8%, is the highest among Internet users in the whole of the State, although in the second quarter of 2006 the rate of growth remains stable. The second place of use of the Internet is the work place, with 43.8%.

2 percentage point increase in the percentage of Internet users that use Basque to surf the Internet during the second quarter of 2006

While in the fourth quarter of 2005 20% of Internet users surfed the Internet in Basque, in the first quarter of 2006 this percentage rose to 22%, corresponding to 166,100 Internet users that used Basque to surf around the Internet.

Notable increase in the average length of the last connection by slightly more then 2 minutes, rising form 46 minutes in the fourth quarter of 2005 to 48.2 minutes in the second quarter of 2006.

The percentage of Internet users that carried out Internet purchases remains stable

20.9% of Internet users, i.e. 157,600 persons have made a purchase on the Internet in the second quarter of 2006, 300 persons fewer than in the fourth quarter of 2005. We can see, therefore, a slight reduction in the percentage of Internet users that purchased on the internet with regard to the fourth quarter, which may be due, among other causes, to the seasonal nature of this variable. Compared with the same quarter the previous year, there was an increase of 13,100 persons, which represents 0.2 percentage points more than the percentage of Internet users that purchase through the web.

Continuous increase in access to ITC equipment such as the personal computer, Internet and mobile phone in the A.C. of the Basque Country over the second quarter of 2006

The presence of Information and Communication Technology equipment continues to spread in Basque households. Half of Basque families, 51.5%, have a computer in the home. At the same time, access to a computer among the population aged 15 and over came to 61.3% in the A.C. of the Basque Country and increased by 1.2 percentage points with regard to the fourth quarter of 2005.

21,200 families more can access the Internet from their homes, 7.4% more than in the 4th quarter of 2005 and 13.1% more than in the same quarter of the previous year. At the same time, the population aged 15 and over with access at home to the Internet grew in the first six months of 2006 by 54,800 persons –2.9 percentage points–, reaching 884,000 persons as potential Internet users in the home. Thus, 48% of people now have this equipment in their homes in the A.C. of the Basque Country.

Continuous increase in access to mobile phones in the household and in the second quarter of 2006 there were 18,300 new potential users, i.e. 89.4% of the population aged 15 and over resident in the A.C. of the Basque Country have this equipment. More people in Álava than the average for the A.C. of the Basque Country have a mobile phone, 91.5%, followed by Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa, with 89.7% and 87.8%, respectively.

Families and population by new information and communications technology equipment.

Source: EUSTAT