PC use growing in Greece
Greece’s personal computer market is growing fast but is still behind European norms, a survey has found. The survey, conducted by Market Analysis for Intel Hellas, the subsidiary of the chip-making giant, shows that 35 percent of Greece’s population are active computer users, using a total of 1.9 million PCs. In the European Union, about 50 percent of households have at least one PC, while, in Greece’s case, only about 22 percent do. Not surprisingly, there is a gender gap in PC use, with 61.5 percent of the users being men. The survey results available do not show whether this discrepancy is as wide at younger ages. Greek PC users are also predominantly young: Half the users are under 30 years old. Asked about where they used a computer – multiple answers were allowed – most of the respondents (61 percent) replied that they did so at home; 49 percent used a computer at work, 19 percent at school or at university, 12 percent at Internet cafes and 8 percent used a friend’s computer. Seventy-two percent of all computer users use the Internet, at home or at the above-mentioned locations. Another survey conducted by Intel estimates that there are about 1.4 million Internet accounts. Most Internet users first went online over the past couple of years. Of the 28 percent of computer users not using the Internet, a sizable percentage (about 10 percent of the total sample) said they planned to do so in the next 12 months. The survey also shows that, among the new Internet users – those who began using it over the past 12 months – half were female. The pattern of PC acquisition varies significantly by age: Most users in the 18-24 age group prefer custom computers (built-to-order) or self-assembly. In older age groups, brand-names predominate, as fewer people have the technical knowledge required to assemble a computer by themselves or to order individual parts.
