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Findings of the "Household Survey on Information Technology Usage and Penetration" and the "Annual Survey on Information Technology Usage and Penetration in the Business Sector" for 2004
The Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) released on 6 December 2004 findings of the two surveys related to the usage and penetration of information technology (IT) in Hong Kong conducted during May to August 2004. The Household Survey focused on IT penetration amongst households and IT usage amongst household members, and the Establishment Survey focused on the patterns of IT usage and penetration amongst business establishments.
According to the results of the Household Survey, personal computers (PC) and Internet connections were getting more and more common amongst households. Some 1 581 900 households, or 71.1% of all domestic households in Hong Kong, had PC at home in 2004. Among those households with PC at home, some 1 444 700 (91.3%) had their PC connected to the Internet, representing 64.9% of all domestic households in Hong Kong. This represents a noticeable increase compared to the situation in 2003 when 67.5% of all households in Hong Kong had PC at home and 60.0% of all households had their PC at home connected to the Internet.
With the increased penetration of PC and Internet amongst households, more persons aged 10 and over had used PC and Internet service. As revealed from the 2004 survey, some 3 669 700 persons aged 10 and over, or 59.5% of all persons in that age group, had used PC at least once in the twelve months before the survey. The corresponding figures were 3 464 400 persons and 56.2% for the 2003 survey. As expected, the 2004 survey showed that the rates of using PC were higher amongst younger persons, better-educated persons and students.
In 2004, some 3 479 700 persons aged 10 and over, or 56.4% of all persons in that age group, had used Internet service in the twelve months before the survey via various media including PC, WAP phones and personal digital assistants (PDA). The corresponding figures were 3 212 800 persons and 52.2% for the 2003 survey.
Utilisation of electronic business services was also high amongst people in Hong Kong. About 96.5% of all persons aged 15 and over had used electronic business services of one form or another for personal matters in the twelve months before the survey, as against 93.6% recorded in 2003. The electronic business services covered in the Household Survey included the use of Octopus card, Automatic Teller Machine (ATM), e-cash, Easy Pay System (EPS), Payment by Phone Service (PPS), online searching for financial information/information on goods and services/information on job vacancies, etc.
Regarding the usage of online purchasing services, the 2004 survey estimated that around 410 600 persons aged 15 and over, or 7.1% of all persons in that age group, had used one or more types of online purchasing services for personal matters in the twelve months before the survey. The corresponding figures in 2003 were 401 600 persons and 7.0% respectively.
Use of online Government services was also increasingly common. The 2004 survey estimated that some 1 639 400 persons aged 15 and over, or 28.5% of all persons in that age group, had used online Government services for personal matters in the twelve months before the survey. The figure in 2003 was 24.3%, representing an increase of 4.2 percentage points.
According to results of the Establishment Survey, the percentages of establishments using personal computers (PCs) and having Internet connection in 2004, have increased over 2003, being 58.4% and 50.4% respectively. The corresponding percentages in 2003 were 54.8% and 47.5% respectively.
Analysed by size of the establishments, 97.4% of large establishments, 83.7% of medium establishments and 54.5% of small establishments were using PCs. The corresponding figures for 2003 were 94.2%, 87.7% and 50.0% respectively. Besides, 89.7% of large establishments, 76.2% of medium establishments and 46.4% small establishments had Internet connection in 2004. The corresponding figures for 2003 were 85.1%, 78.2% and 43.0% respectively.
Among the major sectors, PCs were most popularly used in the financing, insurance, real estate and business services sector (82.3%) and the manufacturing, electricity and gas sector (63.1%). The percentage of establishments with Internet connection was also highest in these two sectors, at 76.9% and 54.1% respectively.
In 2004, about 14.8% of the establishments had a Web page or Web site, representing a slight increase over the percentage of 13.5% in 2003. The percentage continued to be much higher for large establishments (67.7%) as compared with medium establishments (39.2%) and small establishments (10.6%). All establishments having Web pages/Web sites provided information about the establishments and the products and services offered in their Web pages/Web sites. Only 8.7% of the establishments having Web pages/Web sites used their Web pages/Web sites as channel for online ordering of their products and services.
In the 12 months before enumeration, 11.7% of the establishments had ordered or purchased goods, services or information through electronic means, representing an increase of 2.1 percentage points over 2003. Electronic means included Internet, Interactive Response System through telephone lines/mobile telecommunications network and designated private network.
About 53.0% of the establishments had received goods, services or information through electronic means, representing an increase of 2.0 percentage points over 2003. In the Establishment Survey, goods received through electronic means were only restricted to those products that could be transmitted through electronic media, such as software packages and songs. Browsing information on the Internet was also regarded as receiving information through electronic means.
The percentage of establishments having sold goods, services or information through electronic means also increased slightly from 1.1% to 1.3%. In the survey, an establishment was regarded to have sold its goods, services or information through electronic means only if it offered them and accepted orders or purchases that were placed completely through electronic means.
About 15.3% of the establishments had delivered their goods, services or information through electronic means, 1.7 percentage points higher than that in 2003.
The total amount of business receipts received from selling goods, services or information through electronic means in 2003 was estimated at HK$21.2 billion, representing a 35.4% increase over the $15.6 billion receipts received in 2002. Of the total amount received from selling goods, services or information through electronic means, the percentage share in respect of selling through the Internet was 64.6% in 2003, about the same as that of 65.5% in 2002.
More detailed results of the Household Survey and the Establishment Survey are set out in the "Thematic Household Survey Report No. 20: Information Technology Usage and Penetration" and the "Report on 2004 Annual Survey on Information Technology Usage and Penetration in the Business Sector" respectively. The two reports are both in bilingual form.
The above publications are now available for sale. The print version and download version (in PDF format) of the Household Survey Report is for sale at HK$68 and HK$51 per copy respectively, while the print version and download version of the Establishment Survey Report is for sale at HK$38 and HK$28.5 respectively. It can be purchased online at the "Statistical Bookstore, Hong Kong" (http://www.statisticalbookstore.gov.hk) or by completing and returning an order form which can be downloaded from the website of C&SD (http://www.info.gov.hk/censtatd/eng/prod_serv/forms_index.html). Purchase in person can be made at the Publications Unit of the C&SD (Address: 19/F, Wanchai Tower, 12 Harbour Road, Wan Chai; Tel.: 2582 3025).
Summary of Survey Results 
The attached tables summarize the key results of the two surveys. Enquiries about the results of the surveys may be directed to the Information Technology and Telecommunications Statistics Section of the C&SD (Tel : 2887 5560).
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