2.3 Purposes of computer and Internet use
Although it is important to monitor access to key ICTs, such as personal computers and the Internet, it is equally important to examine their use if we are to understand their impacts. In Canada, the most common use of computers in 2003 was to access the Internet (91.2% of computer users). About threequarters (75.4%) of Canadian computer users also used word processors to write or edit text on at least a monthly basis. The next most popular activity was reading information from a CD-ROM or DVD (58.9%). The computer is a source of entertainment for many Canadians, as over one-half of Canadian computer users played computer games in a typical month. Close to one-half also used their computers for managing accounts, using spreadsheets or carrying out statistical analysis (49.0%), and creating graphics, designs, pictures or presentations (42.8%). A small proportion of Canadian computer users engaged in programming (12.3%).
Compared with other countries included in this study, Canadians had the highest proportion of computer users who used the Internet, although the differences between most countries were not large. Computer users in Canada and the U.S. were also more likely to use their computers for playing games. In terms of most other computer activities, however, computer users in Bermuda and Switzerland were generally most active. Computer users in Italy were less likely to use computers for most types of activities (Table 2).
| Bermuda | Canada | Italy | Norway | Switzerland | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % of computer users | ||||||
| Use of the Internet | 89,7 | 91,2 | 72,0 | 87,9 | 89,7 | 89,0 |
| Writing or editing text | 80,0 | 75,4 | 72,0 | 82,2 | 90,5 | 75,6 |
| Reading information on a CD-ROM or DVD |
62,1 | 58,9 | 57,6 | 56,6 | 63,0 | 60,4 |
| Playing games | 48,2 | 51,1 | 39,2 | 44,3 | 33,1 | 55,2 |
| Accounts, spreadsheets or statistical analysis |
56,8 | 49,0 | 46,1 | 49,8 | 56,3 | 48,9 |
| Creating graphics, designs, pictures or presentations |
49,4 | 42,8 | 39,3 | 42,3 | 52,2 | 44,5 |
| Keeping a schedule or calendar | 55,1 | 38,7 | 28,5 | 40,3 | 45,2 | 44,6 |
| Programming or writing computer code | 11,3 | 12,3 | 17,1 | 13,5 | 12,2 | 11,6 |
Source: Statistics Canada, Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey, 2003.
Regional and provincial analyses of computer activities within Canada also reveal some interesting trends (Table 3). Residents of Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon Territory and the Northwest Territories were most active at writing or editing text on computers. In Ontario the proportion of computer users engaging in this activity was also quite high. Computer users in Alberta and the Northwest Territories were also above the national average in the use of computers to keep a schedule or calendar and to read information from a CD-ROM or DVD format. The Yukon Territory had the highest proportion of computer users who accessed the Internet from any location. In the Atlantic provinces use rates for many activities were lower, however the use of computers for playing games was quite popular in Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Computer programming was not a particularly popular activity in any province, although the rates were higher in Ontario and Quebec compared with most other provinces.