Introduction

This chapter focusses on how frequently respondents use the internet, and for people who are recent users (used the internet in the three months prior to interview), the extent to which they go online every day or almost every day, and if less frequent users, their broad frequency of usage.

Note that internet use not only includes internet browsing or buying of goods or services online or online education. It includes all activities that require the internet, such as email, instant messaging, use of WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, internet banking, etc.

What this chapter will highlight is the very high use of the internet in Ireland, with younger adults in particular online at least several times a day.

More than nine in ten persons use the internet

Key findings of broad frequency of use:

• Of all respondents aged 16 years and over, more than nine in ten (92%) individuals have used the internet within the previous three months, unchanged from 2022, while just 1% of individuals had used the internet but more than three months ago. See Table 2.1.
• One in fourteen (7%) had never used the internet, predominantly older persons - 42% of persons aged 75 and over have never used the internet. This compared with just 1% of persons aged 30 to 44 years, and 2% of persons aged 45 to 59 years, who have never used the internet. All persons aged 16 to 29 years have used the internet within the previous three months. See Figure 2.1.

Persons living in households with children mostly go online daily

Key findings of detailed frequency of use:

• The majority of internet users (94%) had used the internet every day or almost every day, unchanged from 2022. Almost all internet users aged 16 to 44 years had gone online daily or almost every day, while 96% of persons aged 45-59 years used the internet daily. This compared with only 72% of older internet users aged 75 years and over. See Figure 2.2 and Table 2.2.
• The vast majority (98%) of all households with dependent children had used the internet daily or almost daily, compared with 90% of internet users living in single occupancy households, and 92% of internet users living in households of two adults with no children.
• Almost all (97%) internet users whose principal economic status was At work went online every day or almost every day. This compares with over eight in ten (81%) persons whose principal economic status was Retired. All Students were online at some point during their day.
• The frequency of internet usage increases as the affluence of the geographical area where the person resides increases. Almost all (97%) persons users living in very affluent areas used the internet within the previous three months, and of these, nearly all (97%) went online daily. By comparison, just 87% of persons living in very disadvantaged areas were recent internet users (within previous three months) and of these, just over nine in ten (91%) used the internet daily.

Over half of younger internet users almost constantly online

Key findings of frequency of daily use:

• Of those persons who used the internet daily, 85% went online at least several times a day. Almost four in ten (39%) were online all the time/nearly all the time – one in seven (15%) used the internet all the time while a further 24% used it nearly all the time. See Table 2.3.
• Younger daily internet users aged 16 to 29 years used the internet most frequently throughout the day. Almost all (95%) used the internet at least several times a day - over one fifth (21%) used the internet all the time, while a further three in ten (31%) accessed the internet nearly all the time, and 43% accessed it several times a day. See Figure 2.3.
• The frequency of daily internet access was also high in the 30 to 44 years age category. One in five (20%) daily internet users aged 30 to 44 years, used the internet all the time, while a further 28% of daily internet users in this age group used the internet nearly all the time, and a further 44% used the internet several times a day. 
• Over half (52%) of older daily internet users aged 60 to 74 years used the internet several times a day.

Students most frequent users of the internet

Key findings of internet users:

• All Students used the internet every day or almost every day. Of these, almost all went online at least several times a day. Just 1% had used the internet briefly during the day. See Tables 2.2 and 2.3.
• Of daily internet users surveyed whose principal economic status was At Work, almost one in five (18%) used it all the time. One-quarter of these internet users were online nearly all the time, while more than four in ten (45%) used the internet several times a day. See Table 2.3.
• Over eight in ten (81%) Retired persons who used the internet in the last three months, used it every day or almost every day. Of these daily internet users, nearly one in ten (9%) used the internet nearly all the time, while 3% used the internet all the time. See Tables 2.2 and 2.3.
• Over seven in ten (72%) of persons aged 75 years and over (who used the internet in the previous three months), used it every day or almost every day. Of these, nearly half (48%) used it several times a day, while a further 41% used the internet briefly one or two times a day. One in eleven (9%) used it nearly all the time, while just 2% said that they used the internet all the time. See Tables 2.2, 2.3 and Figure 2.3.