IDG News Service - A gaping geographical digital divide is emerging in the E.U., with countries in the south such as Greece, Bulgaria and Romania being left behind by more technology-savvy northern countries like Holland and Sweden, according to research published Tuesday.
While 77% of Dutch homes have broadband access, two thirds of Greek households don't even have basic access to the Internet, said the E.U.'s statistics agency, Eurostat.
Average broadband penetration across the 27-country block rose to 56% from 49% in the first quarter of last year.
The survey also found that half of all E.U. citizens aged 16-74, and almost three quarters of 16- to 24-year-olds, log onto the Internet every day or almost every day.
The highest number of young people logging on daily or almost daily were found in the Netherlands (90%), Denmark and Estonia (both 88%), and Finland and Sweden (both 87%).
Meanwhile, only 41% of Romanian teenagers and young adults under 25 used the Internet on a daily basis. Greece and Ireland weren't far behind, with 57% and 58% respectively, Eurostat said.
Just over a third of E.U. citizens aged 16-74 bought or ordered goods or services online in the past 12 months, Eurostat said. This share varied enormously, with countries in the south again lagging far behind their northern neighbors: 2% in Romania and 5% in Bulgaria, compared with 66% in the U.K., 64% in Denmark and 63% in the Netherlands and Sweden.
Across the E.U., 40% of men ordered or purchased goods or services over the Internet, compared with 34% of women, Eurostat said.
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