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BRAT: 28% of people have bathroom facilities and 60% internet access in rural area
Internet can be found with 60% of people in the rural area, the use development and users’ profiles being that of the urban area in 2007-2008, but only 28% of people have bathroom facilities in their homes, according to an BRAT study presented at the Media Research Day.
The study was presented by Arina Ureche, the general director of the Romanian Transmedia Audit Office (BRAT) at this year’s edition of Media Research Day, organized in Bucharest.
According to study, 68% of people aged between 14 and 64 use the internet (10.3 million people), of whom 36% from the rural area and 64% from the urban area. BRAT general director said that at national level, 50% of people between 14 and 64 use the Internet daily (7.6 million people).
Arina Ureche spoke about utility access in the rural area. 99% of people have access to electricity, 62% have Internet connection at home and 45% have running water and sewerage. 36% of people have bathroom facilities in their homes, 32% benefit from hot water and only 2*% have toilets in their homes.
Another aspect presented by Arina Ureche was why people use the Internet. In the rural area 69% use it for e-mail, 77% access social networks, 71% read newspapers/magazines, 59% buy online products/services, 25% use it for banking services and 37% for dating and flirting.
In the urban area 75% of people use the Internet for email, 75% for social networks, 67% use search engines to get informed. People in the urban area use the Internet for bank operations and 29% for dating and flirting. “People generally access the Internet to communicate and get information. While in the urban area Internet is used to save time and get easy access to certain services, in the rural area it is used more for entertainment,” Ureche said.
She pointed out that at national level, 73% of people aged between 14 and 64 have Internet access at home (11 million people), of whom 42% come from the rural area and 58% from the urban one.
According to the place where they use Internet most people use it at home (96%) both in the urban and rural areas, while 33% of people in the rural and 42 from the urban area use it on the job.
According to the type of connectivity they choose, 91% of Internet users in the rural area use a computer, 18% tablets and 59% mobile phones or smart phones. In the urban area, 95% use computers, 15% tablets and 45% cell phones or smart phones.
According to Arina Ureche the Internet exceeds television for the number of hours spent using it. “In the rural area the average daily time spent is higher than in the urban area,” she said.
The rural area is now at a development level similar to the urban area in 2007-2008, both for the use of Internet and the purchase power. According to a study made by SNA Focus, monthly incomes and expenses in a rural household in 2014 was similar to the urban area in 2008.
BRAT is the Romanian media organization measuring the audience of written press and online audience , audits the written press and monitors investments in advertising (written press, online, radio and outdoor).