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More women get online

Just the facts ma'am * In Taiwan, 50.4 percent of those online are women, compared to 49.6 percent for men. * Online spending increased from NT$7,151 per person in 2001 to NT$7,503 per person. * Women spent an average of NT$6,220 online last year.

Women surpassed men as the top Web surfers in Taiwan last year, according to local Internet portal Yam.com (蕃薯藤).

The company published the results of last year's survey yesterday, revealing that 50.4 percent of those online are women, compared to 49.6 percent for men. In 2001, 55.1 percent of Taiwan's Web users were men, and only 44.8 percent women.

Businesses in Taiwan need to pay attention to the reversal, Yam.com's chief operating officer, Chen Jen-ran (陳正然), said.

Yam.com has conducted surveys of the online habits of Taiwan's Internet users for the last seven years. The latest survey polled 16,000 people between Nov. 19 and Dec. 3, 2002.

"As the number of people accessing the Internet grows year by year, and as the applications of the Internet become more diversified, company mangers and Internet operators need to understand the characteristics of the Internet population," Chen said. "This will be key for future business and decision making."

Perhaps of more interest to businesses is the fact that 80 percent of those surveyed clicked on advertising links, and 60 percent said they were willing to accept promotional e-mails. The survey also found that women were more willing to receive electronic ads.

Using search engines to find information remains the top function of the Internet for users, accounting for 28 percent of total online time.

The use of e-mail has risen 3 percent to 17 percent since 2001, and accessing news sources has fallen 3 percent to 13 percent.

There were also major differences in the habits of the sexes. The top reason for women to log on was to use e-mail services, whereas men prefer to browse.

Women were more concerned about security while surfing, whereas men detest a surplus of boring content. Men also spend more time online, clocking an average of 23.5 hours online per week, compared to just 18.5 hours for their female counterparts.

Online spending increased from NT$7,151 per person in 2001 to NT$7,503 per person. Men bought more expensive items, pushing their total for the year to NT$8,965, compared to just NT$6,220 for women. Women downplayed their online shopping habits, saying they preferred to spend less than NT$3,999. Men, on the other hand, said they had planned to spend more than NT$6,000 last year.

When it comes to one of Taiwan's favorite pastimes -- playing video games -- half of the under-19 age group engage in online games, but twice as many boys participate. Boys are also more willing to pay for game services, shelling out on average NT$275 per month.

The government-funded Institute for the Information Industry (資策會) in September last year showed that Taiwan's Internet users had increased 10 percent last year over 2001, topping 8.35 million, or 37 percent of the nation's population.
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