OTTAWA — Demand for Internet connectivity has soared in Canada during the Covid-19 pandemic, with almost seven in 10 Canadians saying they’re using the Internet more now than before the crisis started, according to a recent survey conducted by Abacus Data on behalf of Shaw Communications.
The survey was conducted online with 2,183 Canadians aged 18 and older from April 19 to 22, 2020. The survey results were released April 24 in a Covid-19-related blog post by Abacus Data CEO David Coletto.
Sixty-eight percent of survey respondents said they are using the Internet more, including 27% who say they are using it much more than usual. Increased Internet use crosses demographic, regional and socio-economic groups, according to the survey. Eighty percent of those aged 18 to 29 said they are using the Internet more, while 59% of those aged 60 and older reported increased Internet usage.
In terms of gender, more women (71%) than men (64%) said they are using the Internet more during the pandemic. More college students (80%) than university students (74%) reported increased Internet usage. And 81% of those working at home or attending school remotely said they were using the Internet more.
In fact, 59% of Canadians surveyed said they are using the Internet to work from home, and 49% said they are doing schoolwork or learning using virtual classes or courses.
“Despite the substantial increase in Internet use during the pandemic, 9 in 10 Canadian home Internet 
customers say their home Internet service has handled the increased demand well, with only 10% having negative perceptions about the performance of their networks,” writes Coletto.
These positive perceptions are relatively consistent across the country, according to the survey, with 89% in Western Canada, 87% in Ontario, 94% in Quebec and 92% in Atlantic Canada reporting their home Internet service has handled the increased demand well during the pandemic.
According to the survey, the pandemic and its impact on Internet use have caused almost one in five Canadian home Internet subscribers to upgrade their service over the past four weeks, too. Upgrading of home Internet service was fairly consistent across Canada — 18% in Western Canada, 21% in Ontario, 18% in Quebec and 16% in Atlantic Canada. Those aged 45 and younger were more likely to upgrade their home Internet service (27%) than those aged 45 and older (12%), according to the survey.
When it comes to screen time, the increased Internet usage has meant 41% of Canadians, including 55% of those aged 18 to 29, are spending three hours or more a day consuming content through or interacting with a screen, according to the survey.
The majority of survey respondents said they are using the Internet to stay informed about the pandemic (76%) and to check in with family and friends (77%). Furthermore, 78% reported using the Internet to watch video content on streaming services regularly or occasionally, while more than half (60%) are listening to music over the Internet at least sometimes.
Video chats have been a popular way to stay connected with family, work colleagues and clients. According to the survey, 38% of Canadians are using the Internet to hold work-related video meetings regularly or occasionally, while 32% are holding family get togethers by video chat.
When asked how they used the Internet during the previous weekend, 57% of survey respondents said they watched a movie streamed online. In addition, 42% said they connected with friends or family over a video chat, and 14% said they gathered to have a family dinner over video chat. Seventeen percent said they watched a religious ceremony over a live stream.
Many survey respondents also said they used the Internet to stay active on the weekend. Sixteen percent reported doing an exercise or yoga class streamed online, while 12% said they did a workout on a smart bike trainer or treadmill.
