53% Indians hooked to internet every hour, beat global average

Fifty-three per cent of Indians are connected to the internet every waking hour, which is higher than the global average of 51 per cent, a new international study has found. “The continuous online connectivity is becoming a phenomenon in India with 53 per cent of respondents in the country saying they are connected to the internet every waking hour,” said the study conducted by the London-based AT Kearney Global Research. “That is higher than 51 per cent global average, 36 per cent in China and 39 per cent in Japan,” said the study titled “Connected Consumers Are Not Created Equal: A Global Perspective.” The study covered 10 countries involving 10,000 respondents in July 2014. The results of the study found that continuous connectivity is having a big impact on online retail in the country with social networks becoming a major influencing factor. “97 per cent of the respondents from India said they have a Facebook account with 77 per cent saying they logged in to the social network daily,” said the study. According to the study, there are three key motivations for Indian people to be continuously connected to internet. First is interpersonal connection in which 94 per cent of respondents said that connecting with other people is a key motivation for going online. This factor is the highest among Indian respondents. Second factor, according to the study, is self-expression, which is sharing opinions with others through the internet. The study says this factor is particularly strong in emerging markets and places where offline self-expression is limited. In India 88 per cent of respondents cited this as a factor for staying connected to the internet. It is a big motivator in China as well where 89 per cent cited it as a reason to be connected to the internet compared to the global average of 62 per cent. The third motivation is access to services or products and making purchases online. On this front, 92 per cent of the Indian respondents said they go online to access services or for shopping, the study said. PTI