OTTAWA — Statistics Canada released the results of its most recent Canadian Internet Use Survey, which showed that 91% of Canadians aged 15 and older used the Internet in 2018.
The provinces of Alberta and British Columbia recorded the highest proportion of Internet users at 94%, while Newfoundland and Labrador posted the lowest proportion at 86%.
Overall, 94% of Canadians had home Internet access. The survey respondents who did not have Internet access at home gave several reasons, including the cost of Internet service (28%) and equipment (19%), and the unavailability of Internet service (8%).
Almost half of Canadians who used the Internet (46%) reported spending more than 10 hours per week online in 2018, not including time spent streaming content and using video gaming services.
In 2018, 69% of Internet users reported paying for or using an online video streaming subscription service, with 9% of those users reporting that they spent 20 hours or more per week streaming content through these services. In addition, 49% of Canadian Internet users said they used online music streaming subscription services in 2018.
At the same time, 23% of Internet users said they chose to take a break from or decrease time spent on the Internet in the 12 months preceding the survey, which was conducted from November 2017 to March 2018. Furthermore, 10% of Internet users reported feeling like a victim of incidents online.
According to the survey, most Internet users took some steps to protect their privacy in 2018: 61% reported deleting their browser history, 60% blocked junk e-mail and spam, and 42% changed the privacy settings on their accounts or apps to limit their profile or personal information.
When it came to online security incidents, 57% of Canadian Internet users reported a cyber security incident in 2018, including being directed to fraudulent websites that asked for personal information (19%) or getting a virus or other computer infection (11%).
In 2018, more than half (53%) of Internet users had an Internet-connected smart home device in their home, such as a smart television (41%) or smart speaker (15%). Other smart home devices reported by Canadian Internet users included smart thermostats (9%), Internet-connected video cameras (9%) and smart plugs or lights (5%).
In addition, 88% of Internet users reported having a smartphone for personal use, with many using it to conduct online banking activities (63%) or to purchase (54%) or sell (16%) goods and services in the 12 months preceding the survey. Furthermore, survey respondents with smartphones offered a glimpse of how they typically use their devices: 45% reported they check their smartphone at least every 30 minutes, 56% said they check it right before going to bed, 54% said they use their smartphone while watching TV, and 21% said they use it while eating dinner.
Finally, in the 12 months preceding the survey, 30% of employed Canadian Internet users reported their employer expected them to use the Internet to stay connected outside of their regular work hours, and almost one-quarter (23%) of employed Canadians reported they had done some telework.
More information about the 2018 Canadian Internet Use Survey can be found on the Statistics Canada website here.
