Research summary: Digital divide: A typology of Internet users in Canada

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Why this study

The Government of Canada wants its online services to be the first choice for everyone in the country-no matter where they live or when they need help. But some people still find it difficult to get online or use the Internet. This is called the "digital divide."

In the past, the digital divide meant whether people could access the Internet or not. Now, it also includes how people use it. Many Canadians are online, but their use of the Internet varies. Some people do simple things like messaging or searching for information, while others use it for more advanced things like online banking or online government services.

To learn more about this, we studied Canadians aged 15 and older. We looked at different Internet user types and what they have in common.

What we did

We used data from the 2022 Canadian Internet Use Survey (CIUS). We also used a research method that allows to identify common patterns in how people use the Internet. We studied:

• people who don't use the Internet
• online activities that Internet users do most often
• groups of Internet users with similar online activity habits
• social and personal factors (like age, income, and education) that influence which group someone is more likely to belong

What we found

The research shows that about 1.8 million Canadians didn't use the Internet in 2022. Most were seniors, not working, living alone, and many were women or lived in rural areas. About 95% of people in Canada used the Internet in 2022, and most used it to communicate and find information. Only 82% of Internet users used it for advanced activities like online banking or government services.

We found four main groups of Internet users:

1. Leisure users (16% of the Internet users)
   • use the Internet mostly for fun (watching videos, listening to music, getting information)
2. Instrumental users (10%)
   • use the Internet for many things like banking but not for entertainment
3. Minimal users (7%)
   • use the Internet very little, mostly just to get information
4. Heavy/intensive users (68%)
   • use the Internet a lot for almost everything, from finding information to using online government services and online banking

We also found that:

• young people are more likely to be leisure users and use the Internet for fun
• seniors, people who don't work, and those who live alone tend to be minimal users
• women use the Internet less for things like banking, but more for finding information
• those with lower education, lower income and those who speak only French are less likely to be intensive users of the Internet
• people with disabilities are more likely to be minimal or leisure users

What it means

The digital divide in Canada is getting smaller, but differences in how people use the Internet still exist. To make sure everyone benefits from the Internet, we need to give extra support to seniors, people who live alone and those with less education, among others.

Contact us

Strategic and Service Policy Branch, Service Policy and Strategy Directorate, Service Research Division

Email: esdc.nc.sspb.research-recherche.dgpss.cn.edsc@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca