A full third of Australians go online while in the bathroom or at the toilet, according to a new study by the company behind the rollout of Australia’s National Broadband Network (NBN).
In its Broadband Index study, nbn found that 33 per cent of respondents admitted to being online while in the bathroom or on the toilet, and 28 per cent said they connected during the night if they wake.
The study, aimed at examining online perceptions and experiences in detail, was undertaken on behalf of nbn by Evolve Research in June, and captured feedback from more than 10,000 people across Australia.
According to the research, online multitasking is “the new normal,” with 73 per cent of respondents going online while watching television.
Additionally, 69 per cent of Australians go online first thing in the morning when they get up, and 63 per cent are online last thing at night when they go to bed. Meanwhile, just over a third said they go online in the kitchen while cooking.
Unsurprisingly, the study found that Gen-Y and Gen-X are the most active online.
Somewhat less unsurprising, however, was the finding that people in regional areas are increasingly more likely to use the internet to connect with people and businesses in their local areas than those in metropolitan areas.
Despite rising internet usage in regional areas, people in metropolitan areas still spend more time online than their regional counterparts.
On average, individuals in metropolitan areas who are connected to the NBN spend six hours per day online, while in regional areas, the figure is 5.6 hours daily - this equates to a rise of 1.4 hours and 1.7 hours, respectively, from 2014 rates.
The research also found that social media was fairly widely used across the board, tapering off at the older end, with 93 per cent of Gen-Z recipients using social media, and 68 per cent of ‘Builders and Boomers’ also using social platforms.
Communication was by far the most common activity for all respondents to do while online, with Gen-Z and Gen-Y recipients placing social media at the top of the list, while Gen-X and Boomers cited email as the top activity they engaged in while online.
“Email is most popular for Gen-X and Baby Boomers, while those aged between 18 and 34 can’t get enough of social media such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram to stay in touch; Social media is still popular with the older generations but Gen-Z and Y scored more than 90 per cent when it comes to usage,” said nbn manager, corporate affairs for NSW and the ACT, Kelly Stevens.
