Youth Survey on Usage of Internet and Social Network Websites

HKUPOP

Youth Survey on Usage of Internet and Social Network Websites

Dr Robert T. Y. Chung

Director of Public Opinion Programme, HKU

June 8, 2010


2

Research BackgroundResearch Background

Objective: To understand Hong Kong youths’ usage of the Internet, including social network websites, and their views on Internet security.

POP consulted Microsoft and HKCSS in designing the questionnaire while POP enjoyed full autonomy in fieldwork operation, data collection and data analysis. POP takes full responsibility for all findings reported.

The research methodology and all survey findings are released for public consumption.


3

Contact InformationContact Information

Date of survey ： April 22 to May 12, 2010

Target ： Cantonese speaking youths aged 12 to 23

Survey method ： Random telephone interviews by real interviewers

Sample size ： 825 successful cases (including 3 cases without online experience in the past 12 months)

Effective response rate ： 77.0% (based on the number of eligible target respondents)

Standard error ： 1.7%, meaning that the sampling error of percentages are not more than +/-3.5% at 95% confidence level


4

Survey Findings


5 Q1 　　 Have you surfed or used the Internet in the past 12 months?

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

No

Yes

<1%

~100%

(Base=825)

Reasons for not getting online ：-No computer/tool to get online (2 respondents)-- No need (1 respondent)

Used the Internet in the past 12 months?


6Q2 What is/are your major reason(s) of surfing the Internet?

(Base=820 ， Multiple answers allowed)

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Don't know/hard to say

Others

Online banking/stock transaction/bill payment

Shopping/auction

Blog

Forums

Send or receive emails

Read newspapers

Downloading/listening to music/watch tv/movies/video clips

Online games

MSN/other instant messaging

Information search

Do homework/work

To get access to the social network websites (like Facebook)

<1%

2%

1%

2%

5%

13%19%

20%

26%

26%

31%

33%

39%

53%

Q2 to Q18 only for respondents who have used the Internet in the past 12 months

Major purposes for getting online


7Q3 How much time do you spend on surfing the Internet a week? Please include all your online activities, like sending and receiving emails, doing homework, writing blog (personal diary), browsing social network websites, playing games, searching for information etc.

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%


More than 50 hours

>40-50 hours

>30-40 hours

>25-30 hours

>20-25 hours

>15-20 hours

>10-15 hours

>5-10 hours

1-5 hours

Less than 1 hour

1%

5%

5%

8%

10%

11%

11%

16%

21%

12%

<1%

Mean 20.3 hours

Standard error 0.55 hour

Median 15.0 hours

Base 808

(Base=820)

Number of hours spent online per week


AgeNumber of

hoursEducation

Number of hours

20-23 27.1 hours Tertiary or above 27.9 hours

16-19 19.9 hours Matriculation 19.1 hours

12-15 13.3 hoursSecondary - senior (F.4 and F.5)

19.0 hours

Secondary - junior (F.1 to F.3)

14.4 hours

Primary or below 5.9 hours

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Cross tabulation - Number of hours young people getting online x Age and Education

(Subsample size ： ranging from 255 to 278)

(Subsample size for “Primary or below” is 25, while that for other groups ranges from 118 to 258)


9 Q4 Apart from your home, where do you usually get access to the Internet? (Do not read out answers, multiple responses allowed)

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Don’t know/hard to say

No other location

Others

Café/shopping mall

Cyber cafe

Anytime, anywhere

Library

School/company

1%

36%

3%

3%

4%

6%

7%

52%


Locations where young people got online apart from home


10Q5 Apart from computer, have you used any of the following tools to get access to the Internet? (Read out below answers, order to be randomized by computer, multiple answers allowed)

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%


No other tools

Others

I-pod touch

PDA

Mobile phone

1%

68%

1%

3%

4%

27%


Tools young people used to get online apart from computer


11Q6 Have you been constrained or monitored when you surf on the Internet? Like when to surf the Internet, what to do on the Internet, what kinds of websites to be browsed etc.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%


Occasionally/depends

No

Yes

<1%

3%

80%

17%

(Base=822)

Constrained or monitored when surfing the Internet?


Age% of being

constrained or monitored

Education% of being

constrained or monitored

20-23 4% Tertiary or above 4%

16-19 9% Matriculation 6%

12-15 38%Secondary - senior (F.4 and F.5)

11%

Secondary - junior (F.1 to F.3)

39%

Primary or below 51%

12

Cross tabulation – Constrained or monitored when surfing the Internet x Age and Education


(Subsample size for “Primary or below” is 26 while that for other groups ranges from 120 to 261)


13 Q7 Do you browse social network websites regularly? For example, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace etc.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

No

Yes

12%

88%

(Base=822)

Used social network websites?


14Q8 (Only for those who have used social network websites) Which social network websites do you browse the most? (Do not read out answers, multiple answers allowed)

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%


Others

Tagged

Friendsters

MySpace

Xanga

Twitter

Windows Live Spaces (MSN Spaces)

Facebook

<1%

2%

<1%

1%

1%

3%

3%

9%

98%


(Only for those who have used social network websites)

Most popular social websites among young people


0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%


More than 20 hours

>15-20 hours

>10-15 hours

>8-10 hours

>6-8 hours

>4-6 hours

>2-4 hours

1-2 hours

Less than 1 hour

1%

7%

5%

7%

9%

12%

11%

20%

20%

8%

15Q9 (Only for those who have used social network websites) How many times do you usually browse these social network websites a week?

(Base=719)

Mean 7.7 hours

Standard error 0.33 hours

Median 5.0 hours

Base 712


Number of hours spent on social websites per week


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Number of hours getting online and using social websites (per week) x Gender

0 5 10 15 20 25

Using social network websites*

Internet users getting online#

8.5

19.1

6.9

21.4

Male

Female

*Only for respondents who used social network websites. Comparison between male and female are proved to be statistically significant.

(Hours)

(Subsample size ： Ranging from 351 to 407)

# Comparison between male and female are not proved to be statistically significant.


17 Q10 (Only for those who have used social network websites) Why would you spend time on these social network websites? (Do not read out answers, multiple answers allowed)

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%


Others

Peer pressure

Entertainment

Networking

Curiosity

Time killing

Info sharing

Keep in touch

1%

2%

1%

9%

10%

10%

18%

26%

73%

Base=719 ， Multiple answers allowed)


Reasons for browsing social websites


18Q11 Do you concern or worry about the privacy and security issues when they are using the Internet or social network websites?

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%


Haven’t thought of it

No

Yes

1%

6%

11%

82%

(Base=822)

Concern about Internet privacy and security?


19Q12 Have you encountered any of the following problems or risks in the past 12 months? (Read out below answers, order to be randomized by computer, multiple answers allowed)

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Don’t remember

None of the above

Being sexually harassed by others

Account / password being used by others illegally

Mistrust any fake identity or information of others

Being insulted by others

Your personal contact / photos being published

Being attacked by hacker / virus

1%

70%

3%

4%

5%

6%

7%

19%


Encountered the following problems or risks?


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Cross tabulation – Internet privacy and security problems encountered (Top 3) x Age

12 - 15 16 - 19 20 - 23

Rank Problem % Rank Problem % Rank Problem %

1.Being attacked by

hacker / virus14% 1.

Being attacked by hacker / virus

19% 1.Being attacked by

hacker / virus22%

2.Being insulted by

others6% 2.

Personal contact / photos being published

7% 2.Personal contact / photos

being published8%

3.

i) Personal contact/ photos being publishedii) Account / password being used by others

illegally

5% 3.Mistrust some fake

identity or information of others

6% 3.

i) Being insulted by others

ii) Mistrust some fake identity or information

of others

6%



21 Q13 Do you think it is easy or not for young people to get in touch with the following information or content from the Internet? (Read out below answers, order to be randomized by computer, multiple answers allowed)


Easily accessed by young people for the following information or contents?

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Don’t know /hard to say

None of the above

Illegal gambling

Materials related to violence

Materials related to pornography

Movie / TV programme which is uploaded or downloaded illegally

Music which is uploaded / downloaded illegally

1%

3%

31%

66%

76%

89%

91%


22Q14 Do you know any measures that can protect your privacy and security online? (Do not read out answers, multiple answers allowed)

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50%

Don’t know

Others

Increase the Internet security level of one’s computer

Restrict the accessibility of personal webpage

Set a longer/more complicated password

Log out email or other accounts after using

Avoid joining too many forums/groupings

Install filter

Do not surf suspicious websites/open emails from unknown senders

Update personal password regularly

Install firewall

Do not expose personal/bank account information causally

Install anti-virus software

9%

4%

1%

3%

4%

5%

6%

7%

7%

23%

26%

41%

45%


Knowledge about Internet privacy and security measures


23 Q15 So what measures have you taken to protect your privacy and security now? (Do not read out answers, multiple answers allowed)

0% 10% 20% 30% 40%

Don’t know

Others

Did nothing

Increased the Internet security level of one’s computer

Restricted the accessibility of personal webpage

Installed filter

Set a longer/more complicated password

Logged out email or other accounts after using

Avoided joining too many forums/groupings

Did not surf suspicious websites/open emails from unknown senders

Updated personal password regularly

Installed firewall

Did not expose personal/bank account information causally

Installed anti-virus software

2%

3%

13%

1%

2%

2%

3%

4%

4%

4%

17%

20%

34%

36%


Internet privacy and security measures adopted


24Q16 (Only for those who do not take any preventive measures) Why don’t you take any measures? (Do not read out answers, multiple answers allowed)


(Only for those who did not take any preventive measures)

Reasons for not adopting any security measures

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%


Others

The software was too expensive

Had no idea how to install the software

No need

No time

Thought myself was not vulnerable to the risk

Had no concern about the potential risk

Did not think the cyber space was dangerous

Had no idea about the measures

18%

6%

2%

3%

5%

5%

7%

18%

22%

27%


25 Q17 From which channel(s) do you usually receive educational information of Internet security? (Do not read out answers, multiple answers allowed)

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50%


Others

Mobile TV (like RoadShow)

Promotion booth

Ads in MTR station

Siblings/family

Promotion emails

Radio

Parents

Newspapers/magazines/books

Friends/classmates

Websites/netfriends

TV

School/teachers/textbooks

8%

4%

<1%

<1%

1%

2%

2%

2%

4%

13%

18%

28%

29%

44%


Channels for receiving Internet security information


26Q18 If you have questions on Internet security, who/where will you seek help? (Do not read out answers, single answers allowed )

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45%


Do not ask for help

Others

Newspapers/magazines/books

Government department

School/teachers/textbooks

Netfriends/Websites

Family/relatives

Friends/classmates

3%

6%

2%

<1%

1%

7%

15%

24%

41%


People to look upon to when having Internet security problems


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Cross tabulation – People to look upon to in times of trouble x Age

12 - 15 16 - 19 20 - 23

Rank Target % Rank Target % Rank Target %

1. Family/relatives 44% 1.Friends/

classmates44% 1.

Friends/classmates

53%

2.Friends/

classmates25% 2. Family/relatives 18% 2.

Netfriends/websites

19%

3.School/teachers/

textbooks12% 3.

Netfriends/websites

17% 3. Family/relatives 9%



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Conclusion

Young people of age 12 to 23 on average spend about 20 hours each week online. Almost 90% have the habit of using social network websites, spending about 8 hours each week.

About 80% said they have not been constrained or monitored when surfing the Internet, also about 80% said they are concerned about online privacy and security.

More than 40% know that installing anti-virus software and not exposing personal information causally could protect their privacy, but only about one-third put them into practice.

About 20% had their computers attacked by hackers or viruses, more than 5% had their personal contacts or photos published, or had been insulted by others online.

“Schools/teachers/textbooks” are the main channels through which young people receive information about Internet security, but when they have problems, 40% would seek help from “friends/classmates” first, one-quarter would go to “family members and relatives” first.


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EndEnd

Documents

Youth Survey on Usage of Internet and Social Network Websites