More than 36 per cent of Hong Kong homes have Internet access, and
over half have PCs, according to a survey released by the SAR
government.
The survey, which was conducted between January and March of last year,
sampled some 10,200 households and found 36 per cent had access to the
Internet.
But only 30 per cent of all those aged over 10 years had actually gone
online in the 12 months prior to the survey.
The rates shot up among younger, better-educated people and
students.
While Internet penetration figures were encouraging, the survey showed
less than two per cent of Internet users have bought goods or services
or traded securities online.
Less than one per cent of all respondents had tried online stock
trading, online banking, online payment or online auction services.
The main reason cited for not using the Internet to shop or trade, was a
concern for security.
Only 1.8 per cent of respondents had bought goods and only 1.2 per cent
had booked tickets online.
Perhaps another hindrance to ecommerce in the region is that although 37
per cent of companies in Hong Kong have access to the Internet, only 7.3
per cent have set up a Web page.
The survey noted that 70 per cent of Internet users went online to
communicate via email or search information.
It added that 49.7 per cent of families had PCs at home, while 53 per
cent of companies also had PCs.
The survey also found that about 30 per cent of Hong Kong residents knew
how to use Chinese-language computer input methods.
Meanwhile almost 85 per cent of people aged over 15 had used electronic
business services of one form or another such as Hong Kong's Octopus
multi-purpose smart card, ATM, e-cash, phone banking, or online
searching for financial information, goods and services, and job
vacancies.
Hong Kong's mobile phone penetration rate is 71 per cent according to
government figures from August 2000.
There are also currently over 6.8 million smart cards in use in Hong
Kong.
