| Bermuda | Canada | Italy | Norway | Switzerland | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pourcentage des utilisateurs d’Internet | ||||||
| Electronic mail (e-mail) | 91,0 | 87,0 | 80,3 | 85,1 | 89,7 | 86,0 |
| General browsing | 88,8 | 85,2 | 38,0 | 60,5 | 77,4 | 84,6 |
| Read about news and current events | 75,1 | 69,4 | 65,1 | 81,5 | 55,8 | 75,9 |
| Search for health-related information | 55,5 | 49,7 | 28,4 | 32,2 | 30,2 | 53,5 |
| Search for weather-related information | 45,4 | 44,9 | 28,6 | 34,7 | 39,1 | 60,8 |
| Search for government information | 29,4 | 44,0 | 35,9 | 57,9 | 27,4 | 42,4 |
| Shopping (including browsing for products or services but not necessarily buying) |
71,6 | 43,2 | 19,8 | 61,0 | 45,4 | 75,1 |
| Banking | 40,2 | 39,0 | 17,3 | 64,1 | 32,1 | 31,6 |
| Obtain or save music | 26,3 | 38,2 | 36,5 | 31,1 | 22,0 | 31,2 |
| Search for employment opportunities | 15,4 | 31,7 | 19,3 | 20,0 | 13,9 | 32,2 |
| Participate in chat groups or other online discussions |
23,6 | 24,5 | 26,2 | 18,4 | 15,0 | 23,8 |
| Formal education or training (part of a formal learning activity such as a course or a program of studies) |
24,8 | 17,4 | 16,9 | 20,0 | 26,5 | 25,1 |
| Playing games with others | 16,3 | 16,1 | 10,8 | 10,6 | 6,6 | 20,8 |
Source: Statistics Canada, Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey, 2003.
Within Canada, residents of the Northwest Territories and British Columbia were the most active Internet surfers in terms of the proportion of users performing specific tasks online. They were closely followed by individuals in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Ontario (Table 5).
E-mail use was above the national average in western and northern parts of Canada, including Alberta (87.5%), British Columbia (91.1%), Northwest Territories (89.9%) and the Yukon Territory (89.8%), as well as Ontario (88.8%). In addition, residents of the Northwest Territories, British Columbia, and Alberta were most active when it came to using the Internet for news and current events, and banking. In terms of searching for information online, surfers in British Columbia and the Northwest Territories were also very active, tracking down health-related and government information, and individuals in Newfoundland and Labrador and the Northwest Territories led the way in accessing weather forecasts.
The Internet can be an important medium for formal education, such as taking online courses, particularly for individuals living in remote locations who cannot attend a traditional school. Internet users in the Northwest Territories led the way (22.4%) in using the Internet for formal learning activities, such as taking a course or program of studies.
Residents in the Atlantic provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island were busy when it came to looking for employment online. The Atlantic provinces were also among the leaders in downloading music and playing games over the Internet. Those in Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as residents of the Yukon Territory, were well above the national average in online shopping. Internet users in Nunavut and Quebec tended to be relatively less active online.