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Published: 26 November 2015

More mobile Internet use, more personal devices

Eighty-seven per cent of Finns aged 16 to 89 use the Internet and 68 per cent use it several times a day. In 2015, 29 per cent used the web with tablets outside home and workplace. The growth in the share of the population having made purchases online halted to 46 per cent. Forty-five per cent of Finns aged 18 to 89 used a voting aid application before the Parliamentary elections 2015.

Prevalence of Internet usage and certain purposes of use in 2015

	Used the Internet in the past 3 months	Usually uses the Internet usually several times a day	Used the Internet with a tablet outside home or workplace in the past 3 months	Used the Internet with a mobile phone outside home or workplace in the past 3 months	Bought over the Internet in the past 3 months	Followed a social network service in the past 3 months	Used a voting aid application before the Parliamentary elections 2015
	Percentage share of population
Aged 16-24	100	89	34	96	96	93	61 1)
Aged 25-34	100	92	37	89	89	87	69
Aged 35-44	99	90	43	87	87	70	63
Aged 45-54	97	76	37	70	70	51	49
Aged 55-64	90	61	27	50	50	35	35
Aged 65-74	69	36	12	23	23	19	22
Aged 75-89	31	13	4	4	4	5	6
Men	88	69	31	65	65	51	44
Women	86	67	27	60	60	55	46
Total 16–89	87	68	29	62	62	53	45 2)
Total 16–74	93	74	32	69	69	58	49 3)

1) Aged 18–24
2) Aged 18–89
3) Aged 18–74

Personal and mobile devices are fast becoming more common in Finland. A tablet was in use in 42 per cent of households in spring 2015, while one year earlier, the share was 32 per cent. Sixty-nine per cent of Finns used a smartphone. In 2014, a smartphone was used by 63 per cent. As a result of the changing device stock, more and more households have several Internet connections in use. This appears from Statistics Finland's survey on the use of information and communications technology. The share of Internet users is growing only in the oldest age groups.

The share of Internet users in the population aged 16 to 89 rose in 2015 by one percentage point to 87 per cent. As personal and mobile devices become more widely used, Finns use the Internet more and more often. The share of those using the web several times a day rose from the previous year by four percentage points to 68 per cent of Finns. As many as nine out of ten persons aged under 45 use the Internet several times a day.

New devices are used for the Internet more and more also when on the move. Twenty-nine per cent of Finns had used the web with a tablet outside home and workplace during the past three months. Sixty-two per cent had done so with a mobile phone.

The Internet is used most often for communication, everyday matters and following the media. In the survey on the use of information and communications technology 2015, the most common of the inquired use purposes was email, which had been used by 81 per cent of Finns. Online banking was nearly as common (80%). The share of the population making purchases online did not grow any more in 2015. During the past three months, the share of persons having made online purchases fell from the previous year by two percentage points to 46 per cent. The share fell in almost all age groups.

Voting aid applications are popular in Finland. Forty-five per cent of Finns aged 18 to 89 used at least one voting aid application before the Parliamentary elections 2015. Persons aged 25 to 34 used most commonly a voting aid application, as 69 per cent of them had searched for a suitable candidate with one. The older the age group, the lower the share of those having used a voting aid application. Voting aid applications also have an effect on voters, more on the selection of a candidate than of a party. Seventeen per cent of the users of a voting aid application felt that its use had had much effect on the selection of the candidate and 38 per cent thought it had had some effect.

Source: Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Rauli Kohvakka 029 551 3448, Perttu Melkas 029 551 2511, tietoyhteiskunta.info@stat.fi

Director in charge: Jari Tarkoma

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Updated 26.11.2015