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Wiesbaden (pte019/07.02.2003/11:00) - Over 16 million or 43 per cent of German households have access to the web, as detailed in a statistical report released today by the Federal Bureau of Statistics http://www.destatis.de .
The report reflects Internet use in Germans during the first quarter of 2002 and represents the first broad data on the use of PCs and the Internet in Germany. It is based on two pilot studies that looked at 5,000 private homes and 6,675 businesses through Europe.
Up to 24 million Germans or 46 per cent of the population over 10 years of age used the Internet in the first quarter of 2002, placing Germany just above the European average of 40 per cent. Heading the list of European countries is the Netherlands, with up to 66 per cent Internet access in homes.
The results further show that while 77 per cent of German 16 to 24-year-olds use the Internet, only 26 per cent or one fourth of 55 to 64 age group surf the web.
Over 62 per cent of companies used the Internet for business during the first quarter of 2002, again placing Germany in the upper segment of users in Europe.
Three quarters of German users mainly consider the Internet a means of communication, and 65 per cent view it as a source of information on products and services. Up to 42 per cent of those questioned use the web mainly to gather information for private and professional purposes. And every second German user has used the internet to do online shopping, with online shoppers spending the most on travel services (522 euros per shopper).
In businesses, the use of computers and the Internet appears to depend less on the company's line of business than on its size. Nearly all companies with over 250 employees use the Internet for business and communication, while only 68 per cent of firms with fewer than 20 employees have computers. Among these smaller firms, only 58 per cent use the Internet and 55 per cent make use of e-mail services.
The amount of trade carried out on the Internet remains low, with only a third of turnover made online. Barely one third of the companies questioned have their own website.
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