Some 30 percent of households in Turkey currently have access to the Internet, up from 25.4 percent in 2008. ADSL is the most widely used method of connecting to the Internet, with 85.6 percent of the market share. The most popular activity among individuals surveyed was e-mailing (72.4 percent), while reading online newspapers and magazines came in second. A total of 56.3 percent said they mostly used the Internet to download music. The most common reason cited for not having access to the Internet at home was “lack of need,” with 30.1 percent.
Some 50.5 percent of males use computers while the share of men who use the Internet is 48.6 percent. These numbers are 30 percent and 28 percent for females, respectively. Asked how often they use computers, 61.2 percent of computer users said every day, while 59.3 percent of Internet users surf the Internet every day. While 57.6 percent use the Internet at home, 32.4 percent have Internet access at work, and 24.1 percent visit Internet cafés, which are widespread in Turkey.
The TurkStat survey also showed that the 16-24 age group uses computers and the Internet more than any other age group. It also showed that computer and Internet usage is more popular among males than females. Furthermore, people with a relatively higher level of education use computers and the Internet more in Turkey. A prominent detail was that some 11.8 percent of individuals in Turkey shop online, showing the Internet's popularity in this field. The most popular purchases from the Internet were electronics, mainly mobile phones, cameras, TVs and DVD players.
