Almost half of adult Filipinos used the Internet before the pandemic – SWS

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 9) – About half of adult Filipinos have already been using the internet even before COVID-19 hit the country, social weather stations reported.

About 45 percent of adult Filipinos were Internet users in December 2019, according to the pollster’s Fourth Quarter 2019 Social Weather Report.

About 1,200 adults participated in the national survey conducted December 13-16.

The SWS also noted that Internet use in the country has been on “a general upward trend” since June 2006, when the SWS began to study it. The percentage of adults online has remained at least 40 percent since March 2018, peaking at 47 percent in December 2018 and September 2019.

Metro Manila still has the highest rate of internet users, increasing by three percentage points to 65 percent in December from September 2019. The Visayas also saw the numbers rise, posting their new all-time high of 39 percent.

The proportion of Internet users in Balance Luzon barely moved, with the region registering 50 percent for the month, one percentage point less than in September 2019.

Meanwhile, fewer Filipino adults used the Internet in Mindanao, falling to 32 percent in December from a record high of 42 percent in September last year.

Internet use continues to be prevalent among the youngest and most educated Filipinos, with 18-24 year olds making up 86 percent of Filipino adult Internet users and college graduates making up 73 percent of the mix .

Use of social networks

Facebook remains the social media platform of choice for Filipino adults.

98 percent of adult Internet users in the country have an account on the website as of December 2019. This is equivalent to approximately 29.4 million people, or 44 percent of the Authority’s average population projection. of Statistics of the Philippines for 2019 of 66.2 million.

YouTube is the second most popular platform among Filipino adults, followed by Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, and Viber, according to the report.