Social networking on the rise in Singapore : Nielsen

Findings are from the latest annual Media Index report from The Nielsen Company, which surveyed 4,862 adults aged 15 and above in Singapore from July 2009 to June 2010.

The report says that both offline and online, adults in Singapore leverage media to satisfy their thirst for information, news and entertainment. However, exclusive internet users continue to remain small (six per cent), as nine in 10 people in Singapore still turn to either newspapers or TV daily.

Media consumption across the board remains at similar levels as last year.

Newspaper and TV each continue to reach more than seven in 10 people daily, while cable television, magazine and travel consumption patterns remain stable.

The internet continues to be used by six in 10 people in Singapore daily.

Rebecca Tan, (pictured) executive director of media group at The Nielsen Company Singapore, said, “Just like offline media, people go online mainly for information, news and entertainment."

She said that although this pool of people is growing, most people still consume offline media like newspapers and TV, with the internet as a complement.

Internet usage of the average adult in Singapore remains unchanged from a year ago, with 61 per cent of the population using it daily.

In addition, ‘social networking’ (67 per cent) and ‘chatting’ (58 per cent) are popular among young people with more than six in 10 engaging weekly. This group is also more likely to be ‘content pushers’ (32 per cent).

Among the population in general, participation in social networking sites has taken off in a big way, registering an 8.5 per cent increase from last year.

The research stated that about three in 10 (29 per cent) of those surveyed claimed to be active on these sites in the past week. All age groups registered increases, with double-digit growth seen among those aged 15 to 44 (+14.4 per cent).

The proportion of people in Singapore who watched films online/ TV/ videos has also increased (+3.5 per cent). The increase is seen across all age groups and across occupational groups.

Mobile internet and mobile email usage in the past week are also on the rise, reaching seven per cent this year.

Added Tan, “We see more affordable data plan packages, often up to 12GB, being offered by the telecommunication providers who want to cash in on the popularity of iPhones and Android phones to increase their subscription base.”