BRUSSELS—According to a new study published by the European Commission, one in three Europeans has never been on the internet.
While this may surprise some, especially in this day and age, the figure is down from 2007, when 40 percent said they had never been online, The Register reports.
The "Digital Competiveness Report" found 38 per cent of households said they didn't need to be online, while 25 per cent blamed equipment costs and 21 percent blamed access fees, called too high.
Most of those who have avoided going online are elderly, economically inactive and, the study said, "low educated."
On the other hand, the report said, "Half of European households and more than 80 percent of European businesses have a fixed broadband connection, three quarters of them with average download speeds above 2 megabit per second."
Also, the study found small and medium-sized businesses adopting new technology more slowly than much larger firms. Plus, when it comes to the Euro economy, the internet industry in general is seen "weathering the storm better than any other part of the sector."
The commission suggests online advertising will actually benefit from the economic downturn, believing advertisers will shift to online bookings over traditional media.
