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The Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) releases today (December 21) findings of the two surveys on the usage and penetration of information technology (IT) in Hong Kong conducted during May to September 2009 on households and business establishments respectively. 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 (PCs) and Internet connections were very common in households. Some 1 756 300 households, or 75.8% of all domestic households in Hong Kong, had PCs at home in 2009. Amongst those households with PCs at home, some 1 699 400 (96.8%) had their PCs connected to the Internet, representing 73.3% of all domestic households in Hong Kong. This represented a slight increase when compared to the situation in 2008.
The usage of PCs and Internet services was also prevalent amongst persons aged 10 and over in Hong Kong. The 2009 survey revealed that some 4 349 400 persons aged 10 and over, or 70.2% of all persons in that age group, had used PCs at least once in the twelve months before the survey. The rates of using PCs were higher amongst younger persons, better-educated persons and students.
In 2009, some 4 300 000 persons aged 10 and over, or 69.4% of all persons in that age group, had used Internet service in the twelve months before the survey via various media including PCs, Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) phones and Personal Digital Assistants (PDA).
Utilisation of electronic business services was also high amongst people in Hong Kong. About 98.3% 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, which was broadly the same when compared to the situation in 2008 (98.0%). The electronic business services covered in the Household Survey included the use of Octopus card, Automatic Teller Machine (ATM), Purchasing goods or acquiring services via Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS), Easy Pay System (EPS), Online searching for information on goods and services, Payment by Phone Service (PPS), etc.
Regarding the usage of online purchasing services, the 2009 survey estimated that around 923 900 persons aged 15 and over, or 15.9% 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, which was more prevalent when compared to the situation in 2008 (597 700 persons and 10.3%).
Uses of online Government services and browsing of Government websites via Internet service were also more common. In the twelve months before the 2009 survey, 3 106 700 persons aged 10 and over, or 50.1% of all persons in that age group, had used online Government services for handling personal matters. In addition, amongst all persons aged 10 and over who had used Internet service via non-mobile web device, 58.0% (or 2 339 700 persons) had browsed Government websites/searched for or downloaded Government information online, representing a considerable increase of 14.5 percentage points from 2008.
According to the Establishment Survey, IT usage in the business sector has stabilised in recent years. The percentage of establishments using PCs was 63.6% in 2009, slightly higher than the 63.1% in 2008. The percentage of establishments having Internet connection was 60.6% in 2009, also higher than the 58.8% in 2008.
Analysed by size of the establishments, 99.4% of large establishments, 89.9% of medium establishments and 59.8% of small establishments had used PCs in 2009. The corresponding figures for 2008 were 99.1%, 91.7% and 58.4% respectively. Besides, 95.6% of large establishments, 85.6% of medium establishments and 57.0% of small establishments had Internet connection in 2009, as against 95.3%, 85.1% and 54.4% respectively in 2008.
Amongst the major sectors, both PC usage and Internet connection were most popular in establishments in the financing, insurance, real estate and business services sector, with a high penetration rate of 82.4% and 79.5% respectively.
In 2009, 20.0% of the establishments had webpages or websites, being 0.7 percentage point higher than the figure in 2008. The percentage was much higher for large establishments (75.4%) than medium establishments (46.2%) and small establishments (15.8%). All establishments having webpages/websites provided information about their own establishments and the products and services they offered on their webpages/websites.
In the twelve months before enumeration, 60.5% of the establishments had undertaken business activities through electronic means, up by 1.1 percentage points over 2008. Analysed by type of the e-business activities conducted, receipt of goods, services or information through electronic means was the most common, followed by delivery of goods, services or information through electronic means. Electronic means included Internet, interactive response system through telephone lines/mobile telecommunications network and designated private network.
In 2009, 60.1% of the establishments had received goods, services or information through electronic means, slightly up by 1.2 percentage points over 2008. In the Establishment Survey, goods received through electronic means were only confined 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.
About 20.1% of establishments had delivered their goods, services or information through electronic means in 2009, being 0.6 percentage point higher than that in 2008.
The total amount of business receipts from selling goods, services or information through electronic means in 2008 was estimated at HK$139.6 billion, representing a significant increase of 42.0% over 2007.
Background information
The Household Survey was based on a scientific sample of households that represent the population of Hong Kong. The survey successfully enumerated some 10 000 households, within which some 26 700 persons aged 10 and over were interviewed.
The Establishment Survey was based on a sample of some 5 500 establishments, covering all industry sectors except the agriculture and fishing sector and the mining and quarrying sector. Specifically, the following industry sectors were covered: manufacturing; electricity and gas; construction; wholesale, retail, import and export trades, restaurants and hotels; transport, storage and communications; financing, insurance, real estate and business services; and community, social and personal services.
The establishments were categorised according to their employment size as at end March 2009 into large, medium and small establishments. Large establishments referred to establishments engaging 100 or more persons for the manufacturing sector, and those engaging 50 or more persons for other industry sectors. Small establishments referred to those engaging less than 10 persons for all sectors. The others were regarded as medium establishments.
Since results of the surveys are subject to both sampling and non-sampling errors, caution should be taken in comparing the 2008 and 2009 figures, as a minor difference might not necessarily be statistically significant.
More detailed results of the Household Survey and the Establishment Survey are set out in the "Thematic Household Survey Report No. 43: Information Technology Usage and Penetration" and the "Report on 2009 Annual Survey on Information Technology Usage and Penetration in the Business Sector" respectively. The two reports are both in bilingual form.
The publications are now available for download (in PDF format) free of charge from the website of the Census and Statistics Department (www.censtatd.gov.hk/products_and_services/products/publications/index.jsp). The print version of these publications will be available for sale in end January 2010 at HK$74 per copy for the Household Survey Report and at HK$88 per copy for the Establishment Survey Report. They can be purchased in the following ways:
* purchase in person at the Publications Unit of the C&SD (Address: 19/F, Wanchai Tower, 12 Harbour Road, Wan Chai; Tel: 2582 3025).
* through mail order by returning a completed order form which can be downloaded from the C&SD's website (www.censtatd.gov.hk/products_and_services/other_services/provision_of_stat/mail_ordering_of_publications/index.jsp).
* purchase online at the Government Bookstore of the Information Services Department (www.bookstore.gov.hk).
The attached tables summarise the key results of the two surveys. A summary of the results of the two surveys is also available on the "Digital 21" website (www.digital21.gov.hk). Enquiries about the results of the Household Survey and the Establishment Survey should be directed to the Social Surveys Section (Tel: 2887 5103) and the Science and Technology Statistics Section of the C&SD (Tel: 2887 5559) respectively.
Ends/Monday, December 21, 2009
Issued at HKT 16:31
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