Press release 25.05.12

INFORMATION SOCIETY SURVEY OF THE BASQUE COUNTRY - FAMILIES 2012

More than half a million households in the Basque Country are connected to the Internet in 2012

32% of the population who use the Internet make online purchases

The number of Internet users aged 15 and over in the Basque Country stood at 1,089,200 in the first quarter of 2012, 57.6% of the overall Basque population in this age group, according to data prepared by Eustat. As regards the same period in the previous year this percentage was up 0.8 percentage points.

By province, Álava saw the greatest rise in the percentage of users (3.0 percentage points) compared to the same period of the previous year, and occupied second place in the Basque Country, with 58.5% of Internet users. Gipuzkoa, which posted an increase of 1.9 points, had 60.7% individual users in the first three months of this year, and stood in first place. Bizkaia, for its part, suffered a slight reduction of 0.5 percentage points, with the percentage of the population of Internet users aged 15 and over standing at 55.5%, meaning it occupied third place.

With regards to age, the increase of users in the 45-54 age group was noteworthy, with a registered increase of 5.1 points, followed by the eldest age group, 65 years and over, with a rise of 1 point compared to the first quarter of 2011. However, small reductions were registered in Internet use amongst the youngest.

The gender gap was still noticeable amongst the population that use the Internet

The so-called gender gap, which in 2011 stood at 8 percentage points, remained at 7.9 points in the first quarter of 2012. Thus, with respect to the population aged 15 and over, male Internet users represented 61.7% of the male population, whereas female users accounted for 53.8% of the female population. Of the total number of individuals using the Internet in 2012, 51.9% are men compared to 48.1% of women.

In relation to activity, 97.9% of the student population were Internet users, whereas amongst the population in work this figure stood at 78%, and amongst inactive and unemployed individuals it stood at 28.7%. The greatest increase compared to 2011 was amongst the inactive and unemployed population (2.1 percentage points); in the case of individuals in work who used the Internet the increase was 1.7 points; lastly, the student population as a whole who used the Internet was up 0.9 points.

The preferred location for accessing the Internet remained the private home, with a rise in the number of connections of 1.8 percentage points, as such that 92.6% of users connected from their homes. Internet access from education centres and other places (Internet cafés, hotels, leisure spaces…), increased slightly, with a rise of 0.8 and 1.2 points, respectively. However, access from the workplace, for its part, was down 1.6 points compared to the first quarter of the previous year.



There was an increase in the number of Internet users purchasing products or services online

The percentage of individuals using the Internet who made online purchases experienced an increase of 1.6 percentage points in 2012 compared to 2011. Whilst in the first quarter of 2012 32.0% of the population who use the Internet made a purchase online, in 2011 this figure stood at 30.4% of web users.

The presence of CIT equipment continues to increase in Basque households

The presence of Communication and Information Technology continues to grow throughout Basque households. In the first quarter of 2012, there were computers in 63.2% of households in the Basque Country, which was 0.8 percentage points up on the first quarter of 2011. With regards to the population aged 15 and over this was 71.8%.

As regards Internet access, just over half a million families, 58.4%, had this service in their homes, with 18,100 new families (1.4%) joining those with Internet connections compared to the same period of 2011. In turn, the figure for the population aged 15 and over with Internet access grew by 24,900 individuals (1.2 points) from the first quarter of 2011, standing at 66.9%.

For its part, the mobile telephone was present in 91.4% of households. If we refer to the population aged 15 and over, the percentage with a mobile telephone rises to 94.9%, an increase of 15,600 individuals.



For further information:

Basque Statistics Office C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz Tel: +34-945-01 75 00 Fax:+34-945-01 75 01 E-mail: eustat@eustat.es Contact: Pilar Martínez Rollón Tel:+34-945-01 75 31 Fax:+34-945-01 75 01 Further press releases on Information Society Survey of the Basque Country - Families Databank on Information Society Survey of the Basque Country - Families