The pandemic was supposed to usher in a new era of connectivity in British Columbia, and some things have not changed since we went back to the office and the classroom. We continue to see more than half of British Columbians engaging in five different activities online “at least a few times a week”: Sending e-mails (76 per cent, unchanged since April 2021), visiting websites or blogs (71 per cent, down four points), using an instant messaging service (67 per cent, up five points) accessing banking information (62 per cent, up one point) and looking for deals online (52 per cent, down two points).
Fewer British Columbians are active online “at least a few times a week” in five other ways: Looking for directions to get to a destination (47 per cent, up eight points), posting on social media (32 per cent, down five points), uploading pictures or videos (27 per cent, up one point), purchasing goods (24 per cent, up one point) and using VoIP (voice over internet protocol) for calls (22 per cent, down one point).
Some of these fluctuations are easy to explain. With the “third wave” of COVID in the first few months of 2021, people would not have been too eager to figure out how to get to a specific place. Still, now that we are free to travel, there is no significant shift on purchasing goods from websites.
What we do see on e-commerce is a profound age discrepancy. While only 21 per cent of British Columbians aged 18 to 34 purchase goods from websites “once a month or less often,” the proportion rises to 31 per cent among those aged 35 to 54, and to 50 per cent among those aged 55 and over. The pandemic did not make Baby Boomers as connected as their younger counterparts.
Half of British Columbians (50 per cent, down three points) have worried “frequently” or “occasionally” over the past couple of months about having their personal information stolen over the internet.
As was the case in 2021, at least seven in 10 British Columbians say they are “very comfortable” or “moderately comfortable” accessing baking information online (86 per cent, down one point), shopping online (also 86 per cent, down one point) or making charitable donations online (70 per cent, down three points). We remain more guarded when it comes to commenting on an online forum that requires our email address (53 per cent, down one point).
The level of comfort from British Columbians aged 55 and over is similar to what is observed with their younger counterparts on most issues, except for online shopping. Many of those aged 18 to 34 (50 per cent) and aged 35 to 54 (47 per cent) say they are “very comfortable” purchasing goods online. Among those aged 55 and over, the proportion drops to 29 per cent.
Previous experiences have a lot to do with this reticence. Two tech-age nuisances are more prevalent: Receiving an email offering money for help or assistance (54 per cent across B.C. and 59 per cent among those aged 55 and over) and receiving a “phishing” email (61 per cent across the province and 68 per cent among those aged 55 and over).
We may never fully eradicate scams and “phishing” from our Inboxes, but a generational gap persists. British Columbians aged 18 to 34—members of a generation that grew up with ubiquitous connectivity—are less likely to express worry about possible setbacks when using the internet. Their counterparts aged 55 and over are significantly more troubled, particularly when pondering an invasion of privacy, and more likely to be getting emails that can lead to significant problems after a single click.
Mario Canseco is president of Research Co.
Results are based on an online survey conducted from November 15-17, 2024, among a representative sample of 800 adults in B.C. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region in B.C. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
