A look into Canada’s unique internet usage habits in 2021

In 2020, more Canadians were at home than ever before. The pandemic meant that people had to find new ways to enjoy themselves. During this time, the internet provided a lot of entertainment, perhaps more so than ever before. Let’s take a look at exactly how Canadians made use of the internet in 2021. 

Increased usage 

In 2021, more than 60% of Canadians reported that they had increased their internet usage. Children, as well as adults, went online and kept themselves occupied. We are all aware that more video calls were made than ever before. 

A total of 91.6% of Canadians used the internet in 2021, compared with 95.5% in the United States. Many of those who live in this part of the world made use of the new online casinos Canada has. Approximately 19.3 million Canadians gambled online compared to 126 million Americans. While Canada’s figure is lower, it still reflects a large percentage that is likely to grow year after year. This is thanks to the increase in online casinos and the attractiveness of the websites. 

Online medical care 

In 2021, more than half of those who live in Canada received medical care online. The care that was received online was the first of its kind. This just goes to show that the pandemic had a huge impact on peoples’ lives. As doctor’s offices were closed, medical care had to be provided via the internet. This was something that had rarely happened in the past. However, the demand for online care became huge. The demand is still quite high, which shows that people are happy to talk with healthcare professionals online. Perhaps seeing a doctor face-to-face is only preferable when a patient needs to be examined.  

In the United States, an incredible 46% of people used online medical care. This statistic usually sits at around 11% of people. This was a huge increase and was attributed to the onset of the pandemic. Statistics after the pandemic still remain high in America, showing that remote healthcare seems to still be a preference for many. The issue of convenience is likely to be a factor in this. 

Ordering food online 

Canadians appeared to be happy to order food online. For some, it would have been the first time that they had to shop this way. A total of 25% of people shopped online as shopping in a store was no longer deemed to be safe. 

However, this was not the only increase that Canadians saw with regard to food. A total of 17% found themselves signing up for food subscription services. This is a service that provides a meal kit or a box of food to the buyer. Seen as a great way for people to cook from scratch, this method of ordering food online seemed to add a bit of excitement to the home routine. 

In the United States, the growth of the online food industry rose by 5.1% during the pandemic. It’s likely that this figure will remain the same until 2024. It seems that the pandemic had a huge impact on most people’s grocery shopping. 

Working from home 

During the pandemic, many people had to work from home for the first time. It is estimated that 29% of people worked from home from July 2020 until June 2021. In March 2021, five million people were still working remotely. With frequent lockdowns, traveling to the office and spending time there was no longer deemed safe. It was far better for people to stay at home and work on their laptops. 

Of those who had to work from home, 36% say they would be happy to work from home in the future. Many likely found that the alternate lifestyle suited them and made traveling to work seem unnecessary. 

While 29% of Canadians worked from home during the pandemic, only 26% of Americans did. America experienced fewer lockdowns than in Canada, which undoubtedly led to the percentage is lower. It’s thought that just 36% of Americans think that working in the office is the ideal place if you want to work alone. There is no figure to suggest whether a similar percentage of Canadians think the same. However, as we have already seen, many Canadians would be happy to work from home in the future. 

Conclusion:

As you can see, Canada’s internet usage habits certainly changed in 2021. With more people than ever before spending time online, the worldwide web certainly was the place to be. It is likely that some of the habits that were picked up during the pandemic will stick with many Canadians.