New data from Northwestern University in Qatar, Harris Interactive and the Pan Arab Research Center (PARC), as reported by eMarketer, has shown that 93% of internet users in the Middle East and Africa use their mobile phones to go online.
The countries surveyed were Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Tunisia and Egypt, and compared to the 93% who use mobile, only 73% access the internet on desktop or laptop computers.
The survey also shows that internet users, despite being mobile-first, spend more time online than TV viewers spend watching TV, and radio listeners spend listening to radio.
On average, internet users in the countries surveyed spend 26 hours per week online, with Qatar leading the way with 32 hours, Saudi Arabia holding up the pack with 20 hours.
TV viewers in the countries surveyed watch 19 hours per week, radio listeners listen to 19 hours, readers read books for 5 hours, newspapers for 4 hours and magazines for 2 hours.
Of all the activities used online in the regions, social media and communication is the most popular. Nearly 80% of surveyed users use social media or mobile messaging at least once a day.
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