Internet Gains Popularity Among Irish Adults

More than 20 percent of Irish adults are now using the Internet, according to a study by Amarach Consulting that shows Internet use in Ireland has experienced explosive growth in the last four months.

The study “TrendWatch Technology, Quarter 1 2000” shows that 22 percent of all Irish adults now say they use the Internet, equivalent to 592,000 people. That is one-third more people than reported using the Internet last October when Amarach reported 17 Net users in Ireland.

The largest increase among Irish Internet usage occurs at home, with nearly 300,000 people using the Internet at home (11 percent of adults). Work is the next most frequent place where people access the Internet, followed by schools and colleges.

“This dramatic increase is a sign that the Internet has broadened its appeal and is on the verge of becoming a mass market phenomenon,” said Mark Henry, a senior research consultant at Amarach. “This has happened before the next generation of Internet access devices have begun to take hold. Two percent of Irish adults already have Internet-capable WAP phones and we expect to see mobile Internet access increase dramatically over the coming year.”

Amarach’s report is based on in-home interviews with a nationally representative sample of 1,018 adults aged 15-74 during the last two weeks of January and the first two weeks of February.

“We have significantly narrowed the gap with the UK, where recent research identified 25 percent of the population as Internet users,” Henry said. “However, there are many more home users in the UK, and this and where we expect the greatest growth to come from here over the next 12 months.”