The previous chapter concentrated on the principal reasons why Canadians did not have access to the Internet at home. In this section, we use key demographic characteristics of Internet users and non-users to highlight where the differences and similarities between each group lie.

Level of access & employment status

In 2001, the employment groups with the highest levels of access to the Internet are 1) students, 2) term or casual employed, 3) full-time employed, 4) self employed and 5) part-time employed. Respondents who are unemployed have average access levels, with approximately two in three indicating recent Internet access. The level of overall Internet access declines significantly among respondents who describe their current employment status as homemakers, retired or other (includes among others maternity and disability leave).

The wide divergence in the overall level of Internet access by employment status reflects the generational effect outlined in previous sections. With almost all students indicating they have had recent access to the Internet, this represents a 66-point gap with retirees.

Access to the Internet from home does not present divergences between employment types quite to the same extent. The levels of home access range from eight in ten (80 per cent) among students to a low of 32 per cent among retirees. Compared to other employment groups, the self-employed and full-time employed have slightly higher levels of home access to the Internet, with part-time and term employees closer to the average. Respondents who are seasonal employed and homemakers have significantly lower levels of home access.