OTTAWA – The Canadian Internet Registration Authority today published its annual Internet Factbook which has in it some details on the country’s internet usage during the Covid-19 crisis.
Canadians are recognizing the dark side of social media as three in ten report they have been reluctant to use social media or participate in an online discussion because they are concerned about harassment. Facebook, in particular, is named by 41% of Canadians as the most toxic site they use, says a CIRA release.
However, 63% felt safe from harassment on Facebook.
Other findings include:
- 11% of Canadians say they’re addicted to the internet.
- Seven in ten Canadians say “please” and “thank you” to their voice-activated assistant
- One-third have sworn at their voice-activated assistant
- 53% ordered food online in 2020, a significant jump from 27% in 2019
- 58% of parents enforce screen time rules for kids under 18. Most common methods are unwritten rules (51%), weekday limits (39%), and schedules (33%)
- 37% think their smartphones listen to them via the microphone without permission
- 66% say they spend at least 1 hour per day streaming videos or audio online
- 61% saying they at least occasionally seek out Canadian content to watch online
- Three in ten Canadians say they are using the apps of individual TV networks to steam TV or movie content
- Netflix remains the most popular streamer with 53% of respondents saying they are subscribers. Amazon Prime Video follows at 24%, then Spotify at 16% and Crave TV at 13%
- Only 11% admit to intentionally accessing or streaming pirated film or TV content online
- 81% of respondents said they are either very satisfied or somewhat satisfied with their home internet. And now, 45% of Canadians saying they subscribe to unlimited data plans. That’s up from 41% in 2019, and 29% in 2016
- 71% say it would be unlikely that they’d consider buying a home in an area that lacks access to high-speed internet
This survey of 2,000 adult Canadian internet users was conducted in March 2020.
The full report is available here.
