CREATION: Hong Kong Internet access up, online shopping still low

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