Variance by Region and Rural/Urban Location

Results vary significantly by region and rural/urban location. Household Internet access is more likely to be perceived as essential in Ontario, and less likely to be viewed as such in the Prairie Provinces (Manitoba and Saskatchewan) and in Quebec.

Further, rural Canadians are less likely to view home access as essential than their urban counterparts. Disproportionate availability of high-speed home access may be a contributing factor for differences in perceived importance of home access by rural/urban location [Table 6a].

• 34 per cent of Ontarians view household access to the Internet as “essential”, 7 on a 7-point scale.
• By contrast, just over one in five (22 per cent) of those from the Prairie Provinces and Quebec report the same.
• 21 per cent of rural Canadians view household access as “essential”, this number climbs to 32 per cent for urban Canadians.