Irish consumers are increasing the time they spend online and have closed the gap in online adoption levels with our European neighbours, according to latest internet trends published in State of the Net.
The quarterly bulletin, published by AMAS, shows that 72% of Irish households have internet access, marginally ahead of the EU27 average. Two-thirds of the population regard themselves as regular internet users while just over a third of the population buy online.
Irish consumers are more likely to share personal data, such as photographs or addresses on social media sites, than others across Europe, an analysis of Eurobarometer data reveals. Separately, State of the Net records that the online deals phenomenon continues to grow in Ireland, with a doubling in estimated transaction values between May and July.
“There has been a noticeable maturing of Irish consumers’ online behaviour,” says Aileen O’Toole, Managing Director, AMAS. “Five years ago, when State of the Net was first published, we were recording how key internet metrics such as broadband and internet use were far behind OECD and EU averages. Now that has changed. OECD data shows that the number of households with broadband connections is now just marginally behind the European average. While there are still broadband blackspots, it’s a major improvement in half a decade.”
State of the Net is available in the research area of the AMAS website.
Download and reuse the graphs from State of the Net issue 22 on SlideShare
