Economy 30 June 2021, 3:30pm

Hungarians way above EU average in social media use

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Compared to the European Union average, Hungarians browse social media and video sharing sites and seek out medical information much more, the Central Statistical Office’s (KSH) survey on the use of infocommunication devices in Hungarian households found.

In 2020, 88% of Hungarian households had internet access, further closing the gap to the EU average of 91%. 79% of the 16 to 74 age group and 97% of the 16 to 24 age group used the internet on a daily basis last year, compared to just 44% of the 65 to 74 group.

According to the survey, 4 out of 10 daily internet users spend 1 or 2 hours online a day, while 3 out of 10 browse for 3 to 4 hours. About 10% use the internet less than an hour a day and 20% spend at least 5 to 6 hours online. In the 16 to 24 age group, the majority (40%) spend 3 to 4 hours a day online.

Hungarians use the internet to find information on products and services (90%), to send emails (88%) or instant messages (87%), and to read news (83%).

The ratio of social media users was an outstanding 87%, 22 percentage points higher than the 65% EU average.

Hungarians also viewed more videos from sharing platforms (+13pp), sold products or services online (+11pp) or sought medical or health information (+10pp).

“The pandemic has further increased the importance of using infocommunication technologies and devices to organise our everyday lives, in part due to digital education and home office. The pandemic also changed social interactions and shopping habits, with more intensive use of the internet,” the KSH said in the report. Last year, 60% of Hungarians ordered at least one thing on the internet, compared to the 65% EU average, ranking Hungary 17th. Online purchases were typically from Hungarian sellers (49%) or from other EU countries (23%), with non-EU retailers representing just 15% of the total. Geographically, 78% of internet users based in Budapest made online purchases last year, compared to just 64% in the Northern Plains region.

The use of cloud-based services for private use increased further in 2020 as 67%of Hungarian internet users accessed such services, compared to just 40% in the EU. Hungarians mostly used the cloud to store photos (62%), documents (56%), videos (39%) and music (35%).

Access to electronic public administration and public services is a key indicator of a digital society’s development level, the KSH said.

Last year, 60% of Hungarians and 57% of EU citizens contacted public administration organisations and offices electronically.

Cover photo: Getty Images