Europeans are divided on digital uptake through a combination of demographic issues and education, with younger and more educated users found to have a stronger rate of adoption of the internet, according to a new study from Eurostat.
The research, conducted on behalf of the European Union, revealed that among 16-24 year olds, the proportion of internet users was three times higher than among the 55-64 year old population. A similar degree of inequality was seen when combining age and education, with 85% of students aged 16 to 24 using the internet, compared to 13% of people aged between 55 and 74.
Despite industry research claiming that the demographic gap on the internet is closing, Eurostat states that the distance between young and old users has widened since 2002.
Comparing education levels, Eurostat shows that the percentage of “lower education” people online rose to 25% in 2004, compared to 20% in 2002. However, despite this uptake, the gap is not shortening, with “higher education” usage rising from 67% to 79% over the same period.
In total, average internet use across Europe is 47%, with the survey finding online use highest in Denmark at 76%, Finland with 70% and Sweden 82%. The lowest rate was found to be in Greece, at just 20%.
Earlier this year, figures from Strategy Analytics revealed Europe to have overtaken North America as the second largest broadband market in the world, with broadband penetration forecast to 63% by 2010, with 93% of online households using broadband to access the internet (see Europe Overtakes North America In Broadband Penetration).
Strategy Analytic’s Europe Surges Ahead on Broadband report forecasts that, by the end of the year, the Netherlands will lead all other European countries with 56% household penetration, followed by Switzerland and Denmark, at 51% and 49% respectively.
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