NIDA published "Survey on theComputer
and Internet Usage, 1st half of 2004"
October 13, 2004
The number of Koreans who use the internet has exponentially
increased, exceeding 30 million. Since the commencement of the
commercial service in 1994, the number approached 1 million
in 1997, 10 million in 1999, over 20 million in 2001, and eventually
30 million in the first half of this year.
According to the result of the 'Survey on the Internet Use
in the First Half of 2004' conducted by the Ministry of Information
and Communication and NIDA as of July 2004, the number of Koreans
who use the internet stood at 30.67 million ( aged six and older,
and use the internet at least once a month), and the internet
use rate increased 2.7 percent (1.45 million ) from December
2003, to 68.2 percent. (Standard deviation : ¡À0.65%p, 95% reliability)
The survey found that, first of all, by age group of internet
users, those aged from 6 to 19 and in their 20s exceed 95.5
percent (a 4.2%p or 0.33 million increase from a year ago, to
8.96 million), and 95.0 percent (a 0.7%p or 0.1 million increase
from a year ago, to 7.57 million), respectively. Meanwhile,
the comparable figures were 86.4 percent( a 7.9%p or 0.85 million
increase from a year ago to 7.7 million) for those in their
30s who showed a consistent increase in internet use, 58.3 percent
( a 7.5%p or 0.61 million increase from a year ago to 4.72 million)
for those in their 40s and 27.6% ( a 4.4%p increase from the
previous year) for those in their 50s.
By gender, men are more likely to go online at 74.4 percent
(a 3.7%p or 0.96 million increase from a year ago to 16.73 million),
than women at 62.0 percent( a 4.5%p or, 1.1 million increase
from a year ago to 13.94 million).
In addition, by occupation, the group of professional/manager
and student showed the highest internet usage rate at 94.4 percent
and 96.6 percent, respectively. In particular, service/sales
group demonstrated the largest increase (10.5%p) in the internet
usage rate compared to the last year.
By the internet usage, those in their 20s actively subscribe
to internet community ( subscription rate at 45.2 percent),
and use the internet messenger service (37.1 percent). The survey
also showed that the internet usage for online shopping and
pay contents has surged to 45.3 percent and 18.9 percent, respectively,
and those in their 20s and 30s enthusiastically use the internet
for online shopping, at 62.7 percent and 49.7 percent, respectively.
For internet banking and online stock transaction/investment,
the group of professional/manager in their 30s showed the highest
usage rate.
Plus, it was also shown that the respondents spent an average
of 11.5 hours a week on using the internet, and 74.5 percent
of the users have used the internet for more than three years
( the average duration : 52.5 months), and the first-time users
have decreased while the long-term users have been significantly
on the rise.
Accordingly, the government will spare no efforts to consistently
expand the environment that allows for stable use of the internet
by establishing and executing the 'Legislation on Internet Address
Resource' this year, while realizing the 'digital community
for all citizens', through implementation of the ' Plan of IT
Training for the 5 million Underprivileged' to close the digital
divide.
