Some economic and social aspects of residential internet use in Australia

Madden, Gary G and Savage, Scott J (2000): Some economic and social aspects of residential internet use in Australia. Published in: The Journal of Media Economics , Vol. 3, No. 13 (2000): pp. 171-185.

Abstract

This study constructs a profile of the representative Australian residential Internet user from data obtained from a web-based survey. Survey data indicate the representative user is male, 20 to 40 years of age, highly educated, uses the Internet 8 hrs per week for e-mail and FTP, and has a monthly bill of AUD32. Anordered-logit model relates Internet use to price, sociodemographic and connection capacity variables. Model estimates show the probability of higher Internet use is greater for middle-income households, but declines with age of the user. Policy may be required to enhance access to lower-income groups, and to inform the elderly of the potential capabilities of the new technology. Further, model estimates suggest that Australian Internet subscribers prefer flat-rate pricing (or a combination of flat-rate and usagesensitive pricing) over usage-sensitive pricing schemes. This result is consistent with Australian consumer attitudes toward local telephone and mobile cellular pricing.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Residential internet use in Australia, economic and social aspects
• Subjects: L - Industrial Organization > L9 - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities > L96 - Telecommunications

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