Locals still think twice about their online purchases
Greeks remain hesitant about making purchases over the Internet and avoid using various online services provided by the state, according to the latest annual study conducted by Information Society, a group supported by the country’s Development Ministry to promote high-tech ways. The survey’s results, which cover the year 2006, indicated that just 5 percent of Internet users make purchases through online stores, while only 8 percent opted to use the state’s online service options, introduced to help relieve notorious delays at various government services. The survey’s sample numbered 8,025 individuals representing households, companies, schools, doctors and electronic governance. This year’s study showed considerable year-to-year increases in household usage of the Internet and broadband connections. Household Internet usage in Greece, the survey found, increased to 27.4 percent from 24.2 percent in 2005. Broadband connections in Greece represented 4.39 percent of connections in 2006, according to the survey. Despite the increased Internet activity in Greek homes, household usage in the sector remains well below European averages, which stand at 51 percent for the EU-25 and 54 percent for the EU-15. The survey also reported drops in regular and ISDN connections, and DSL gains in the Greek market. The Internet picture was largely unchanged in the business sector. The survey showed that 39 percent of firms that employ between one and nine persons and 92.5 percent of companies employing at least 10 individuals had Internet access. These figures, unchanged from 2005, were not far off EU average figures, both in terms of the EU-15 and EU-25. Of the 8 percent of Greeks who log onto the Internet for state services, the endeavors concern gathering information from websites (7 percent), downloading official documents (4 percent), and submitting completed forms (3 percent). The survey showed that 99 percent of schools are equipped with computers, while Internet usage rose slightly to 97 percent from 96 percent in 2005.
