OTTAWA — Half of Canadians (52%) currently employed say they are now working from home as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, which is a sevenfold increase over the 7% who were working from home before the coronavirus crisis began. That’s according to survey data from the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA), released Tuesday.
With widespread school closures, social distancing and the number of Canadians working from home having significantly increased, some survey respondents reported they have experienced slower Internet speeds as video streaming and video- and teleconferencing are on the rise, according to CIRA.
Thirty-eight percent of respondents said their home Internet connection is slower than before the Covid-19 pandemic and social distancing began, which of course means 62% of overall respondents didn’t report a decrease in their home Internet connection speed. However, according to the survey, B.C. residents (49%) are more likely to say their connection is slower since the pandemic began.
In addition, less than 10% of Canadians who responded to the survey reported reaching their monthly mobile phone data cap since the pandemic started.
Other companies measuring the data have reported Canadian wired and wireless networks have generally been performing well under the pressure of an all-day-long peak period.
Looking at how Canadians have been entertaining themselves while hunkered down at home, the survey found the majority of Canadians are spending more time streaming video online. In fact, 70% of respondents say they are spending more time streaming TVs and movies, while a third or more (38%) report spending “a lot” more time doing so. In addition, 18- to 39-year-olds are more likely than those aged 40+ to spend more time playing video games and listening to podcasts, according to the survey.
When it comes to staying connected to family and friends, more than half (61%) of Canadians reported spending more time connecting with friends via video or teleconference. But the telephone tops the list of preferred ways to stay in touch with friends and family among those over 40 years of age. For those aged 18-39 in the survey, the most preferred method for staying connected is WhatsApp.
With regard to online shopping, six in 10 survey respondents say they have made an effort to support Canadian businesses and retailers instead of international companies since the pandemic began. Nearly half (46%) say they are shopping mostly from large chain stores for food and other items, while about one-third (36%) say they are shopping from both large chains and local small businesses.
“Covid-19 has changed everything,” says David Fowler, vice-president of marketing and communications for CIRA, in the news release. “It feels like overnight the entire country had to move their work, schooling, and social calendar online. Over the past few weeks, the power of the Internet to connect us has never been more clear, nor more important.
“The data shows how the country is coping with our massive shift online. There are struggles as Canadians discover that working from home isn’t without its pitfalls, but we are also seeing families and friends playing games, hosting video conference parties and connecting online like never before. As Canadians do their part to fight this virus, we hope this data helps shine a light on what folks are doing online during this very unusual time in our country’s history.”
An online panel methodology was used to survey a total of 1,200 Canadian Internet users (18-79 years of age) between April 3-7, 2020. The total sample was proportionate to Canadian population by gender, age and province. The research was performed for CIRA by The Strategic Counsel.
