Almost one third of all Internet users in Canada have listened to the radio over the Internet according to a new study released by Toronto’s BBM Bureau of Measurement.

BBM surveyed 3,000 respondents ages 12 and over from its fall 2000 sweep who said they had access to the Internet at home or some other location.

According to the study, 41% of Canadian Internet users use the Internet during the 7 p.m. to midnight time period. This is about the same proportion as is found in other countries.

The study also determined that use of the Internet is not gender specific. Women of all age groups are just as likely to access the Internet as men. This is true for almost every Internet habit examined in the study.

The study then specifically looked at the ages of people who listen to the radio over the Internet and found that the percentage by age group is surprisingly consistent.

While fewer seniors listen to radio over the Internet than do teenagers and young adults, the difference in the percentage of each age group is much smaller than might be anticipated.

As a result, the age distribution of on-line radio listeners closely mirrors that of the Canadian population as a whole.

When asked what they wanted out of a radio station Web site,

Internet users are more concerned with technical functioning and production quality than content.

Overall, the study indicates that experience with the Internet is a major contributor to both the probability that a user will visit a radio station Web site and the probability that a user will make a purchase online.

The BBM study divided Internet users into experienced users (people who have had access to the Internet for two or more years) and new users.

Forty per cent of experienced users have visited a radio station Web site. Only 31% of new users have visited a radio station Web site.

Thirty-seven per cent of experienced users said they have made a purchase online, versus only 26% of new users, and 54% of experienced users felt that shopping over the Internet is ‘completely safe’ or ‘somewhat safe,’ compared to only 42% of new users.

Finally, the study found that 40% of those who have visited a radio station Web site have also made an online purchase over the past six months, compared to only 23% of those who have not visited such a site.

This study is part of the Discovery Series of research papers published by the BBM Radio Division. Details of the study can be found on the BBM Web site at www.bbm.ca.