Huge increase in smartphone use

In the space of a year the internet habits of the Maltese have changed radically, according to a Eurobarometer survey conducted in October and published last week.

The survey shows that since 2013 the percentage of Maltese internet users from a smartphone has increased by 32 points while the number of those who access the internet from a touchscreen tablet have increased by 20 points.

The percentage of Maltese internet users who buy goods and services on-line has increased by eight points while the number of those who watch TV on the internet has gone up by a staggering 14 points. 

The Maltese are now more likely than the average European to use the internet to buy goods and services, but less likely to use the internet to sell goods and services. 

While only 15% of Maltese use the internet to sell goods or services, 23% of all EU citizens do likewise. The percentage of Maltese who sell on-line has only increased by one point.

While 68% of the Maltese use the internet to buy goods and services, only 57% of all EU citizens do likewise.

The Maltese are more likely to use the internet to access social networks than most other Europeans.

While 73% of the Maltese (up eight points over 2013) use the internet to access social networks, only 60% of EU citizens use the internet for the same purpose.

At least half of internet users in every member state use online social networks, and the highest proportions can be observed in Portugal (76%), Denmark (74%), Latvia (73%) and Malta (73%).

The largest segment (81%) of Maltese use the internet to read emails.

38% of Maltese use the internet to play games while 41% use it to watch TV.

Only 29% Europeans use the internet to play games while 22% use it to watch TV.

The percentage of Maltese who use the internet to watch TV has increased by 17 points over 2013.

Internet users in Greece (44%), Cyprus (43%), Portugal (41%) and Austria (40%) and Malta (38%) are most likely to say that they play games online.

Encountering racism and extremism

The Maltese are the second most likely in Europe to accidentally encounter material promoting racial hatred and religious extremism while surfing the internet. 

The percentage of Maltese who reported such material increased by 13 percentage points since 2013. This was the highest increase registered in Europe.

But they are also the second least likely to report such material to the police or their internet service provider.

While 55% of respondents from all EU countries would report such content to the police, only 38% of Maltese respondents would report such content to the police. 

Respondents in Cyprus (38%), Malta (34%), the Netherlands (34%) and Estonia (32%) were the more likely to say that they would not contact anyone if faced with such content.

Across the EU as a whole, 14% of Internet users say that they have accidentally encountered material which promotes racial hatred or religious extremism. This figure is generally consistent across different member states. Respondents in Sweden (28%), Malta (25%) and Romania (24%) are most likely to say that they have accidentally encountered this type of material, while the lowest proportion can be found in Greece (7%).

Overall in the EU there has been no change since 2013 in the proportion of those who have accidentally encountered material which promotes racial hatred or religious extremism.