• There continues to be usage differences based on gender, with females lagging usage by males.
• Usage by seniors has increased a small amount, from 21% in 2000 to 28% in 2001.

The intensity of usage once online has increased.

• While Internet usage has slowed, those online are using it almost ten per cent more on a daily or near daily basis than the previous year.
• Experience online is a more important predictor of intensity of usage than demographics.

Non-users And Access Barriers:

While cost continues to be the main barrier for lower income households, overall lack of interest has gained in importance as a reason for not being online.

• Cost as a main barrier is linked to income, and those households earning less than $20k per year identify cost as the main barrier to home access.
• Lack of perceived need and lack of perceived interest are the main reasons given by upper income households for not having home access, with lack of need being cited by the highest income households.
• Overall, lack of interest remained about the same (30%) from 1997 until 2000, but increased to 40 per cent in 2001.
• Of all respondents, lack of interest is the main barrier for Internet non-users, while cost is the main reason why Internet users do not have access from home.
• Cost as the most important barrier has increased for youth.
• While cost is a concern for seniors, the main barriers to access remain technical literacy and lack of interest.
• Cost continues to be the somewhat more important barrier to access for women, but with men lack of interest has replaced lack of need as the main obstacle.
• For educational levels, after a shift towards cost as the main barrier in 2000, in 2001 lack of perceived need was identified as a slightly more important reason for not having home access.