Tablet PC use at home doubles in two years

By Annette Chrysostomou

THE number of households with a touch screen computer (tablet) in Cyprus has more than doubled to 39.2 per cent compared to 18.7 per cent in 2013 and up from 32.8 per cent in 2014, according to the annual survey ‘Using ICT in Households 2015’ carried out by the statistical service.

The study showed that internet access in households continued to grow, reaching 71.2 per cent this year, compared to 68.6 per cent in 2014. At the same time, a slight increase was observed in the persons who used the internet, from 69.3 per cent in 2014 to 71.7 per cent in 2015.

Also, 11.2 per cent of households have internet access via a mobile connection (mobile phone card or USB modem) compared to 7.1 per cent in 2014.

The most frequent internet users are people aged 16-24 years (97.8 per cent) and students (98.6 per cent). This percentage drops significantly with increasing age.

However, 23 per cent of people aged 65-74 now use the internet in Cyprus, whereas only 15.2 per cent did in 2014. Men use it more frequently than women (71.3 and  68.1 per cent, respectively).

The most popular activities were reading news, newspapers and magazines, and finding information about goods or services, with three out of four people engaging in these activities.

Significantly less people (33.7 per cent) went online to communicate with public authorities this year then last year (41.5 per cent).

The amount of persons who shop online has also dropped. Those who engage in online shopping mostly buy clothes or sports equipment and make holiday bookings.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.