A possible 56.6 million Chinese could "surf the net" with their families, making the China mainland family Internet population, second only to the United States, according to a survey released by Nielsen/NetRatings.
Sources from Nielsen/NetRatings said that although the number of families on the China mainland who have home access to the internet is only around 5 percent, far below that of the United States, the Republic of Korea, Singapore and Hong Kong, China has the potential to extend its Internet population.
Sources also say that if more Chinese had fixed telephone lines, China's family Internet population would rapidly rise.
So far, only 35.6 percent of families on China's mainland have fixed telephones.
According to sources, Nielsen/NetRatings made 1,000 sample surveys around most areas of the China mainland, but not including the autonomous regions of Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Ningxia, Tibetand the provinces of Gansu, Qinghai and Guizhou.
The survey also found that men aged 16-34 are most likely to surf the Internet with family.
In addition, of the Internet surfers who are above 16 years old, more than 80 percent used the Internet twice or more than twice a week. Half preferred to use the Internet in family groups while 27percent chose internet cafes as their favorite place to enjoy the Internet.
According to the survey, more than 40 percent of Chinese Internet surfers said that they went to the Internet mainly for browsing news items and sending emails.
More than 20 percent of surfers said they used the Internet for downloading software, listening to on-line music and checking out on-line products.
(Xinhua News Agency April 24, 2002)
