A group of young people use computers at an Internet cafe in Hefei, Anhui Province. (Photo : Reuters)
The Horizon Research Consultancy Group has released the results of its survey in Beijing on March 23, Monday, which show that more than 90 percent of office workers in China use the Internet as a major tool to find information.
The report, however, revealed that among the users, nearly three-quarters are mostly elderly or urban middle-aged who still prefer to get their information from other sources.
The survey, which aims to see how people look for information, was conducted among 10,720 people in February, covering at least 40 cities across China.
The report also showed that the Internet is the chosen reference tool of people not just at home but also at work.
According to the survey, the Internet is used as a major reference tool by about 96.4 percent of university students, followed by 90.7 percent of white-collar workers, and 78.8 percent of high school students.
Among workers, 58.7 percent of rural migrant workers used the Internet to find information, while 53.7 percent of residents in county-level cities and 25.4 percent of urban middle-aged and elderly residents do the same.
In terms of Web access, the survey showed that 98.3 percent of white-collar workers have Web access, followed by 97.9 percent of university students and 83.1 percent of high-school students.
Among workers and residents, 81.3 percent of rural migrant workers have access to the Internet, while 71.8 percent of residents in county-level cities and 67.2 percent of urban middle-aged and elderly residents have Web access.
According to the results, office workers spend an average of 6.3 hours online each day, while university students spend 6.1 hours and high school students 2.8 hours.
Rural migrant workers spend at least 3.5 hours a day, almost the same with residents in county-level cities at 3.6 hours. Urban middle-aged and elderly residents spend an average of 2.4 hours, the report added.
The report also revealed that university and high-school students as well as rural migrant workers and residents in county-level cities use mobile devices more than personal computers to access the Internet.
In terms of use, the survey responders said that they used the Internet to read news, communicate, socialize with friends and to find entertainment.
