by Rural Ontario Institute
12. October 2011 15:19
2010 data from a study that came out this May contains information with urban/rural comparisons for Canadian households and the extent to which they are accessing the internet. The proportion of rural Canadian households accessing the internet sits at around 71% whereas cities have access rates around 81%. Access rates also differ depending on the province you are in and the level of household income and age.
The purposes Canadians connect to the internet goes far beyond email and social networking – accessing information about government services, researching health issues and searching for employment, for example, are all important reasons people give for using the internet. We think this study builds the business case for rural advocates who continue to urge government support for increasing broadband access for rural Canadians.
In 2010, 8 out of 10 Canadian households (79%) had access to the Internet. Over one-half of connected households used more than one type of device to go online. About 81% of households located in census metropolitan areas and 76% of households located in census agglomerations had home Internet access, compared with 71% of households outside of these areas. Rates of access were highest in British Columbia (84%) and Alberta (83%), followed by Ontario, where the rate was 81%. (The Canadian Internet Use Survey was redesigned for 2010 and its findings should not be compared with those from previous surveys). http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/110525/dq110525b-eng.htm
Norman Ragetlie, Director, Policy & Stakeholder Engagement