The Internet has made life better.

According to an Internet user survey by researchers from CASS, at least 25 per cent of urban adults in China have ventured online, and the majority of them said going online has improved their lives.

This is one of the findings of a survey of 2,457 Internet users and 1,484 non-users between the ages of 17 and 60 in 12 cities in China.

The study, titled "2003 China 12 Cities: Internet Use and Impact Survey Report," has been recognized by some as one of the best guides to Internet use released in the country so far. An English version of the report will be published in New York in October.

During the survey, the researchers focused on the opinions and online habits of 3,941 respondents - both Internet users and non-users - who mirror the nation's ethnic, economic and geographic makeup.

The researchers found that while over 60 per cent of the surveyed Internet users said the Web helped them with their studies and jobs, 33.7 per cent said it made no difference. Only 4 per cent said their study and work habits deteriorated.

"The survey uncovered a surprising optimism about the effects of the Internet," said Guo Liang, head researcher of the study, done as part of "World Internet Project," which was initiated by the University of California in Los Angeles in 1999.

Access to information

Fifty-two per cent of respondents described the Internet as an important source of information, and over 40 per cent said they regard the Internet as a place for playing games, gathering and chatting.

Surfing and browsing websites, reading news and dealing with e-mail are the three major online activities of Chinese Internet users, followed by downloading and searching for music, chatting, playing games and downloading software.

The hours spent on the Internet have taken over the time formerly devoted to other media such as newspapers and magazines and television, Guo and his colleagues discovered.

"The biggest gap in media use between users and non-users is the amount of television viewing time," said Guo. But users spend more time reading books and listening to music than non-users, he added.

Users reported an average of 12.47 hours online per week in the 12 cities this year.

Differences in television viewing become even more pronounced as Internet experience increases.

Users with five or more years of Internet experience spend 20 per cent less time watching television or videos, but twice as much listening to music, while the time used watching other media remains the same with Internet users with only one year's experience.

Guo and his partners also found that 53.7 per cent of users believed that most or all of the information online is reliable and accurate. Non-users reported much lower levels of belief in the reliability and accuracy of the information on the Internet.

The study also shows the Internet is a catalyst for creating and maintaining friendships and has shattered stereotypical images of an isolated, socially alienated Internet hermit surfing for friends online.

Internet users meet an average of six friends per week, and for non-users, 4.81. The number keeps increasing as the Internet experience becomes longer. For users with five or more years of experience, the number reaches 6.71.

"We also find that people going online are more willing to call home than non-users," Guo said.

Most respondents agree that since starting to use the Internet they have increased the number of people with whom they stay in contact, especially with colleagues, friends and schoolmates. The function of communication with family and business remains less than 10 per cent.

The survey showed that China's three NASDAQ listed companies - Sina Corp, Sohu.com and Netease.com - are the three most popular Internet service providers in the country. Sina still holds the top position. Yahoo.com and 21cn.com are listed fourth and fifth respectively.

"The longer people use the Internet, the more positive their evaluation of the Internet. And non-users show less trust of the Internet than users," Guo added.

As far as satisfaction with Internet service is concerned, users reveal that they are most satisfied with the amount of useful information available online. The second-highest level of satisfaction was with the ease of finding information online as well as with the ease in communicating with other people on the Internet.

Covering various cities

Guo and his colleagues began to conduct the annual survey in 2001 and focused on China's biggest cities - Beijing and Shanghai, and provincial capitals - Guangzhou, Chengdu and Changsha.

This year, they added to the list two more provincial capitals - Xi'an and Shenyang, plus five county-level cities - Nanhai in Guangdong Province, Yima in Henan Province, Jimo in Shandong Province, Guangshui in Hubei Province, and Fengnan in Hebei Province.

Guo said they added small cities to the survey because Internet users are no longer concentrated only in big or medium-sized cities, Guo said.

For instance, Nanhai, a small but rich city in Guangdong Province came up with the highest Internet-user rate - 35.6 per cent, followed by Shanghai, Guangzhou and Beijing, the latter three all rates over 30 per cent.

Shenyang, capital of Northeast China's Liaoning Province, has the lowest rate, 21 per cent.

Besides geographic differences, factors like education, income, gender, age, careers and family are also influencing the use of the Internet, according to Guo.

Not surprisingly, Internet use is highest among those aged between 17 and 34 years, who made up 81 per cent of the respondents. The 35-60 age group accounted for only 19 per cent.

Ninety per cent of those with college degrees or higher go online, while only 20 per cent of those with less than a middle school diploma are Internet users.

Discrepancy also appears between people with overseas relatives and those without. Only 56.2 per cent of the latter went online, 22 per cent less than of the former.

The relationship between personal income and the use of Internet was relatively hard to define, but the main trend remain the same - the higher the income, the higher the rate of going online, said Guo.

"About 80 per cent of those with monthly income over 1,500 yuan (US$181) go online, although students without income also make up a high percentage of Internet users," he explained.

Where do people go online?

Home, Internet bars, the office and school occupy the first four places among the choices of the Internet access locations. Less than 7 per cent of users use the cell phone as one of their Internet accesses.

"Because few libraries in China offer free Internet service, the rate for people going online in libraries is very low," said Guo.

Internet shopping remains at the bottom of the list of online activities. Only 17 per cent of users have done so.

The users surveyed are least satisfied with the availability of goods and services on the Internet.

The types of products purchased online vary widely, ranging from books, computer equipment, sporting and entertainment goods, travel arrangements, food and cosmetics and electric appliances. The first three categories make up more than 10 per cent of such purchases.

The top two reasons for low purchase rate over the Internet are concerns about deception or credit card fraud.

Non-users express more worries than users.

The surveyed non-users cited a range of reasons for not going online. Among them, 56.1 per cent said they do not have a computer, while 41.2 per cent said they don't know how to use the Internet.

Lack of interest in the Internet is the third most cited issue. Two other relatively frequent responses were "I am too busy and have no time," and "too expensive."

A wide variety of other less-frequently cited reasons for not using the Internet include inadequacy of current computer, fear of technology, concerns about privacy and security, and worries about viruses.

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