The smartphone dominates surfing in Switzerland
A representative survey by Quickline shows that the majority of people access the Internet via their smartphones (59 percent). Access via laptops (53.8 percent) follows closely behind.
4 out of 5 women up to the age of 40 (80.8%) use their smartphone to access the internet. For men up to the age of 40, the figure is 72.5%. Mobile data usage is primarily used to search for telephone numbers and addresses (58.2%), for communication (57.7%), for listening to music (43.0%) and for video consumption (36.9%). Internet use via laptop is mainly for e-banking (59.6%), research (51.9%), shopping (44.2%) and booking trips (42.1%).
Which devices are most frequently used for surfing?
- 59.0 percent Smartphone
- 53.8 percent Laptop
- 38.8 percent Desktop PC
- 28.4 percent Tablet
- 11.6 percent Television set
The smartphone is the most frequently used device for Internet access. Smartphone surfing is particularly popular among women up to the age of 40 (80.8%). Among men of the same age, 72.5% use their smartphone. From the age of 40, laptops and desktops (from the age of 50) are used more frequently for Internet access than smartphones.
Most popular activities via the Internet
Online shopping and booking trips are popular business areas that are predominantly carried out on a laptop. The laptop is also the preferred choice for e-banking (59.6%). What is striking about e-banking is that it is used up to 15 percent more frequently by the over-40 generation than by the under-40s. More men than women. E-banking is used around half as often via smartphone as via laptop.
Depending on the generation, music and video consumption via the internet takes place either via a laptop (over 40s) or a smartphone (under 40s). The smartphone is extremely popular among almost all generations for communicating and messaging. Among the under-40s, the smartphone is also extremely popular for consuming and managing social media channels. This shows that online communication is mainly used by younger women and less by men. Video consumption and listening to music on mobile phones are very popular among the under-40s. While women prefer to listen to music, video consumption is the main focus for men.
Yann Steulet, Managing Director Residential at Quickline: "It's not surprising that the proportion of users who until recently mainly used their laptop or desktop to access the internet is now behind the smartphone. The Internet is becoming increasingly mobile. In future, the smartphone will probably become even more established as the device with the most frequently used Internet access."
About the study
On behalf of Quickline, the market research institute Marketagent.com surveyed 1000 representative people in German-speaking Switzerland, regardless of which provider they are a customer of. The Quickline Barometer regularly collects information on television consumption, telephony behavior, Internet use and radio listening. The basis for this is provided by survey data collected from 1000 participants in German-speaking Switzerland. The aim is to provide monthly insights into the users of communication media. In the near future, there will also be year-on-year comparisons of the survey results in order to identify trends in usage and behavior.
