What do Statistics Canada's internet usage figures tell planners?
Part of US and Canada targeting
The short answer
Statistics Canada's Canadian Internet Use Survey found that 95% of Canadians aged 15 and older used the internet in 2022, up from 92% in 2020. The survey covers the ten provinces, runs occasionally rather than on a fixed schedule, and measures personal use by people. It does not measure ad exposure, site audiences or campaign reach.
Key takeaways
- The 2022 cycle of the Canadian Internet Use Survey is the latest; Statistics Canada lists the survey as inactive with an occasional frequency.
- Internet use reached 95% of Canadians aged 15 and older in 2022, and the largest increase was among people aged 75 and older, from 62% to 72%.
- The survey covers people 15 and older in the ten provinces, so the territories and younger children are outside its figures.
- A usage rate describes people who went online; it says nothing about which sites they read or whether an ad reached them.
What does Statistics Canada report about internet use?
The main source is the Canadian Internet Use Survey (opens in a new tab) (CIUS), record number 4432. Its stated purpose is "to gather data on how digital technologies and the Internet are transforming society, the economy, and the everyday lives of Canadians." The 2022 results appeared in The Daily on July 20, 2023 (opens in a new tab), with a second release on November 2, 2023.
| Measure | 2022 figure | Comparison given by Statistics Canada |
|---|---|---|
| Internet use, aged 15 and older | 95% | 92% in 2020 |
| Internet use, aged 75 and older | 72% | 62% in 2020 |
| General online banking | 78% | None given |
| Internet connected smart home devices | 47% | 42% in 2020 |
| Experienced a cyber security incident | 70% | 58% in 2020 |
| Access to home internet through a fixed connection | 94% | Stable from 2020 |
| Mobile data plan for personal use | 84% | None given |
| Noticed the role of AI in online applications | 68% | None given |
The release adds that about 600,000 people, 2%, had a mobile data plan but no home internet connection, and that 73% reported seeing online content they suspected to be false or inaccurate. Every figure in the table comes from that one release, so a plan that quotes them can cite one page.
How often is the Canadian Internet Use Survey published?
Not on a fixed calendar. The survey record lists the status as "Inactive" and the frequency as "Occasional." Its list of reference periods (opens in a new tab) shows CIUS cycles for 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2018, 2020 and 2022, preceded by the Household Internet Use Survey from 1999 to 2003. When checked in October 2026, 2022 was the newest cycle listed.
The 2022 cycle, sponsored by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, was conducted from December 2022 to April 2023 by electronic questionnaire with telephone follow-up. A field sample of about 55,700 units was used, and the survey record gives an overall response rate of 45.3%. One randomly selected household member aged 15 or older answered, and proxy responses were not allowed.
How do internet usage rates differ by age and province?
Statistics Canada's articles on the 2022 data give the age and province cuts planners ask for. A data snapshot of Canadian youth and technology (opens in a new tab), published August 12, 2024, reports that "Nearly all (99.2%) Canadians aged 15 to 24 used the Internet in 2022, tied with those aged 25 to 44 for the highest rate among all age groups, and above the national average (94.5%)." Canadian seniors more connected than ever (opens in a new tab), published August 14, 2023, covers the other end of the range.
| Group | Used the internet in 2022 | Source article |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 15 to 24 | 99.2% | Youth and technology snapshot |
| Aged 25 to 44 | 99.2% (tied with 15 to 24) | Youth and technology snapshot |
| Aged 65 and older | 82.6%, up 6.3 points from 2020 | Seniors article |
| Aged 75 and older | 72%, up 10 points from 2020 | Seniors article and The Daily |
| Seniors in British Columbia | 89.6%, the highest among the provinces | Seniors article |
| Seniors in Ontario | 85.4% | Seniors article |
| Seniors in Alberta | 84.3% | Seniors article |
The seniors article also reports that 74.7% of people aged 65 and older sent and received email in 2022, 58.0% banked online, 44.5% watched video streaming services excluding live television, and 40.7% booked appointments online, up 10.9 points from 2020. Statistics Canada did not publish provincial rates for the other provinces in that article, so a plan should not fill the gaps by estimate.
How should planners cite Canadian internet statistics?
A citation in a plan should let a reader find the exact number again. For the CIUS that means naming the survey, the reference year, the release or article and its date, rather than a search snippet or a secondary chart that drops the year.
What a Canadian internet statistic needs beside it in a plan
- The survey name and reference year, for example Canadian Internet Use Survey, 2022.
- The publishing page and its date, such as The Daily of July 20, 2023 or a dated StatsCAN Plus article.
- The population: people aged 15 and older in the ten provinces.
- The measure's wording, such as use in the past three months for personal activities.
- The figure exactly as published, rounded or not, with no added decimals.
- A note when two cycles are compared, since the 2022 release warns against comparing with surveys before the 2018 redesign.
When a figure comes from a table rather than a release, cite the table number and title with the release date, and link the StatCan page directly. If the StatCan site is unavailable when a plan is written, record the date checked and come back to it; do not substitute a reprint from a third party site.
What do Canadian internet usage statistics not tell an advertiser?
The survey measures people, and only some people. Its target population is persons 15 and older in the ten provinces, excluding full-time residents of institutions, and it makes efforts to exclude units on reserves. The territories are covered by a separate source: Statistics Canada's article Canada's Far North less remote than meets the eye (opens in a new tab), July 19, 2022, reports that 88% of people in the Northern Territories said in 2021 that they had used the internet over the past three months.
The activity questions are also bounded. The 2022 questionnaire (opens in a new tab) introduces them with: "The following questions are about your personal use of the Internet, from any location, using any device. Please exclude business and school-related use. During the past three months, which of the following activities, related to communication, have you done over the Internet?"
| Question a planner asks | Can the CIUS answer it? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Are older Canadians online at all? | Yes, as a share of each age group | Rates are published by age |
| How many people will see this campaign? | No | The survey measures personal use, not ad exposure or impressions |
| Which websites do seniors in Alberta read? | No | The survey asks about activities, not named sites |
| Does the activity rate include use at work or school? | No | Business and school-related use are excluded from the activity questions |
| What about Yukon, the Northwest Territories or Nunavut? | Not in the CIUS | The territories were surveyed separately in 2021 |
| Is the 2022 rate current in 2026? | It is the latest cycle, not a 2026 measure | No newer cycle was listed when checked |
What does a plan built on CIUS figures look like?
Fictional example
A US medical alert device maker sizing Canada
A fictional maker of wearable medical alert buttons, based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, asks its agency whether online display can reach older Canadians and their adult children before a Canadian launch in British Columbia, Ontario and Alberta.
The planner's context slide uses three seniors rates from Statistics Canada's August 14, 2023 article, 89.6% in British Columbia, 85.4% in Ontario and 84.3% in Alberta, each labeled as 2022 CIUS data for people aged 65 and older. The 72% rate for people 75 and older sits beside them, cited to The Daily.
The slide states what the rates are not: no count of impressions, no list of sites and no forecast. The site list is then built from content older readers and caregivers use, such as health, retirement and local news coverage, and judged by evidence about each site. No results or performance figures are implied.
How does PlacementGraph look at Canadian audiences for a site?
Survey rates set the context; site evidence comes from other data.
Frequently asked questions
Does Statistics Canada publish time spent online?
The 2022 CIUS releases cited here report shares of people who used the internet or did an activity, not hours online. The questionnaire's activity questions ask whether a person did something during the past three months. For time spent, a planner would need a different source with its own published method.
Who sponsored the 2022 Canadian Internet Use Survey?
The Daily of July 20, 2023 says the 2022 survey was sponsored by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. The survey record traces the program to the Household Internet Use Survey, first conducted in 1997, and notes that the 2010 and 2012 cycles were redesigned for a rural broadband program sponsored by Industry Canada.
What weights come with the 2022 survey data?
The survey record says a person level weighting factor, WTPM, is available on the microdata file, along with bootstrap weights for estimating sampling variability. Statistics Canada also states that it is prohibited by law from releasing information that could identify any person, business or organization without consent.
How many Northerners use the internet?
Statistics Canada's July 19, 2022 article reports that 88% of people in the Northern Territories said in 2021 that they had used the internet over the past three months, and 90% over the past 12 months. The same article says 71% of Northerners bought something online over the past year.
Sources
- Canadian Internet Use Survey (CIUS), detailed information for 2022 (opens in a new tab)Statistics Canada
- Canadian Internet Use Survey: other reference periods (opens in a new tab)Statistics Canada
- Canadian Internet Use Survey, 2022 (The Daily, July 20, 2023) (opens in a new tab)Statistics Canada
- Canadian Internet Use Survey 2022 questionnaire (opens in a new tab)Statistics Canada
- A data snapshot of Canadian youth and technology (opens in a new tab)Statistics Canada, StatsCAN Plus, August 12, 2024
- Canadian seniors more connected than ever (opens in a new tab)Statistics Canada, StatsCAN Plus, August 14, 2023
- Canada's Far North less remote than meets the eye (opens in a new tab)Statistics Canada, StatsCAN Plus, July 19, 2022
Researched and written by PlacementGraph Research. Read how we research, source and update these pages. Corrections: diana@placementgraph.com.