Internet use in Canada averages 13.5 hours a week

Canadians spend more than 13 hours a week perusing the Internet, although a majority of surfers indicated doubts about the accuracy of the content they find.

A report issued Wednesday by the Canadian Internet Project found that while around 75 percent of Canadians have a computer in their home and spend 13.5 hours per week online, only 36 percent consider Internet content to be entirely accurate and reliable while 81 percent believed about half of what they read.

The authors of the report also found that Internet commerce favored purchases of books, electronics and travel tickets sold over Canadian sites. E-mail and access to traditional news media were also popular activities.

Users tended to be young with a marked drop-off in online activity among Canadians 45 and older.

The project surveyed 3,000 Canadians between May and June of 2004.

Copyright 2005 by United Press International