Rather than relying on the Internet itself, it is surprising that Canadians lean towards non-digital sources of family, friends and newspapers to get the latest information on technology. This shows that Canadians are still grounded for the most part in the non-digital world, and they still have a lot of learning to do.
Steve Mossop, President, Western Region, Ipsos

Only a small number of Canadians consider themselves to be an expert with technology despite the significant role technology plays in today’s society. This according to a recent survey by market research company Ipsos. Specifically, when it comes to experience with the Internet, only one-in-three Canadians claim to be an expert or very skilled (32%), four-in-ten say they are fairly skilled (43%), and one-in-four feel they are not very or not at all skilled (25%). Even with the rate at which technology is evolving and consumers are adopting technology, the percentage of Canadians who view themselves as expert or very skilled with the Internet has increased only marginally by 5% (from 27%) since 2001.

Results are even less optimistic for technology in general. Only one-in-five view themselves as an expert or very skilled (22%), four-in-ten are fairly skilled (43%), and one-third are not very or not at all skilled (34%). Not surprisingly, men, younger adults, households with higher income, and those who have attained higher levels of education view themselves as more knowledgeable about technology, but the gap with other segments is not significant.

Though some Canadians claim to be experts in the high-tech space, the vast majority feel they need to work hard just to keep pace with technological changes. A very small percentage of Canadians feel significantly ahead of the curve (8%) and fewer than one-in-four say they are ahead of the game but have to work to keep up to technology (36%). Further, one-third feel they are barely keeping up to speed (34%) and one-fifth is falling significantly behind (19%). Even among self-professed ‘experts’, only 68% of this group feel they are significantly ahead of the curve, while 32% feel that they need to work just to keep up with all the changes.

Surprisingly, Canadians utilize two traditional non-digital sources of information to keep up-to-date with innovative technology news. Specifically, one-quarter of Canadians (25%) turn to friends and family as their number one source of information. At a close second, newspaper articles are preferred by 23% of people. Other sources include magazines and trade publications, online consumer reports/blogs, retail outlets, technology company websites and trade shows.

Steve Mossop, President of the Western region for Ipsos says, “Despite the massive technological advances of the past seven years and the significant increase in online access, high-speed and the number of hours Canadians are spending on various activities online, Canadians are still feeling like technology has run further ahead of them, and most feel grossly inadequate in terms of their competencies in this space.” He goes on to say, “Rather than relying on the Internet itself, it is surprising that Canadians lean towards non-digital sources of family, friends and newspapers to get the latest information on technology. This shows that Canadians are still grounded for the most part in the non-digital world, and they still have a lot of learning to do.”

When asked to indicate their favorite technology device of all time, more than one-third of Canadians chose the computer (35%), followed by the television (16%) and cellular phone (15%). Access to the Internet plays a key role in which device Canadians choose as their favorite. Those without access to the Internet or rely on the Internet less (spending less than an hour online per week) tend to prefer the television over the computer as their all-time favorite technology device.

Regardless of the inadequacies Canadians feel towards their knowledge of technology, the Internet has truly integrated itself into the daily lives of Canadians. More than one-third of Canadians agree that using the Internet is an important part of their daily routine (35%). Some are motivated by fear, as 26% agree that if they don’t find out more about the Internet they will be left behind. Evidently, a few Canadians are incredibly dedicated to the Internet and strongly rely on technology – to the point where a small percentage of Canadians agree that they ‘don’t know how people before me lived without the Internet’ (16%) and a smaller minority agree that they prefer to talk to people via email than by any other method (13%).