Canadians have been spending more time at home and online since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and this has led to increased online spending, use of social media and messaging services and online streaming, Statistics Canada said Wednesday, citing its latest web panel survey.
Some 44 percent of Canadians said they had spent more online on technology, including computers, laptops and tablets, since the onset of the pandemic.
This was also the case for smartphones and online video streaming services.
The results are also reflected in recent retail sales figures, which show that retail e-commerce sales were up by almost two-thirds year over year in July.
Young Canadians aged 15 to 34 were most likely to have increased their use of social media and messaging services, while seniors aged 65 and older were the least likely to have done so.
About 46 percent of Canadians have increased their use of free streaming video services such as YouTube. The increase was the most pronounced among young Canadians, with 68 percent of Canadians aged 15 to 34 reporting increased use of online video streaming services.
Canadians also reported increased use of free online information services and online educational services since the onset of the pandemic.
