Level of access & regional differences

W hile the most striking difference in the level of access to the Internet has been expressed in terms of generational gaps, the extent to which Canadians have access to the Internet, either at home or elsewhere, also reflects a number of economic conditions, including income and employment status. These divergences can also be expressed in geographic terms, noting that have and have-not provinces present evidence of different levels of access to the Internet.

The results from the 1999 and 2000 surveys are presented in Table 11. In 2000, the highest levels of access are recorded in British Columbia, Ontario and Alberta where about two in three had recent access. In Newfoundland and in Quebec, the rate of access is significantly lower at 48 and 51 per cent respectively. A bare majority report recent access in Manitoba and New Brunswick (53 per cent). All other regions hover near the average rate (60 per cent).

Access from home in 2000, at 51 per cent overall, is significantly higher among respondents from Ontario (59 per cent) and British Columbia (57 per cent). Internet access from home falls to 44 per cent in Manitoba, 43 per cent in New Brunswick, 42 per cent in Quebec and 41 per cent in Newfoundland. However, many in these provinces with lower home access can be called near-users. In Saskatchewan, Quebec and New Brunswick a plurality of non-users cite cost as the main reason why they do not have Internet access at home, indicating that they may see and interest and a need for it and could thus become users in the near future.

In 2001, the results present very similar findings. British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, and to a lesser extent, Manitoba, remain above the national average (68 per cent) in terms of overall Internet access. Although there has also been a distinct increase in the proportion of respondents from Quebec that says they have used the Internet in the past three months, they still lag nine points behind the overall average (59 per cent, up from 53 per cent in 1999). The 2001 rate of Internet access in Newfoundland is similar to the 2000 findings, which ranks it far below the national access levels for 2001. Due to the small sample size from Newfoundland, however, it would be prudent not to analyse and comment further on these results.

The 2001 survey results indicate that home access is once again highest in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia and significantly lower in Quebec, New Brunswick and in Newfoundland. As for the different types of non-users, the cost-effect is strongest in Alberta (mentioned by 45 per cent, compared to 28 per cent overall) and lowest in Ontario (21 per cent).