Internet Coverage and Usage in Ireland 2021

This publication on “Internet Coverage and Usage in Ireland 2021” is the third of a series of publications presenting the results of the annual Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Household Survey.

The data in this publication was collected as part of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Household Survey carried out in the first two quarters of 2021. The detail in the publication is a subset of the broader data collected in this survey.

The first publication “Internet Security and Information Integrity” was published on 6^th December and covered internet security and privacy and protection of personal data. The second publication in the series “Household Digital Consumer Behaviour 2021” was published on 10^th December and covered individuals’ use of e-commerce including sharing economy, internet activities, their use of e-Government, online learning and ICT skills.

This publication on “Internet Access and Usage in Ireland 2021” covers household internet access, individuals’ frequency of internet usage and use of devices to access the internet.

Life in Ireland has changed quite substantially since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the period of data collection for this survey, Quarters 1 and 2, many were still working from home, and schools and colleges were using a combination of in-school learning and remote learning.

• At an overall level, nine in ten (90%) persons aged 16 years and over used the internet (in the previous three months to the survey). One in twelve (8%) have never used the internet. See Table 2.1.
• Nearly nine in ten (89%) internet users go online every day or almost every day. See Table 2.2.
• Of these daily internet users, over one third (35%) use it all the time or nearly all the time, up six percentage points from 2020. In 2021, over one quarter (26%) of younger persons aged 16 to 29 years used the internet all the time. See Table 2.3.
• Many devices can be used to access the internet but the majority of internet users (95%) use a smartphone or mobile phone to go online, while three quarters (75%) use a laptop. Most households of 2 adults and children (99%) use a smartphone or mobile phone to access the internet. See Table 3.1.
• Most households with children have internet access. At an overall level, 93% of all households have internet connectivity, up one percentage point from 2020. See Table 4.1.
• Of households which do not have internet connectivity, the most common reason (51%) was that they did not need the internet, followed by lack of skills or knowledge (36%). Nearly one in ten (9%) stated that broadband internet was not available in their area. See Table 4.3.