GENEVA, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- People in Switzerland, especially senior citizens, are spending more time online than ever before, a government report said Monday.
In Switzerland, 90 percent of adults use the internet, the Federal Statistical Office reported, compared to 84 percent in 2014.
"Growth in user numbers is particularly striking among persons aged 65 and over," said the report.
This growth in use is partly due to the popularity of smartphones and tablets.
The percentage of households with mobile internet access in Switzerland has jumped from 60 percent in 2014 to 78 percent in 2017.
The increase in internet usage has been most dramatic among people over the age of 70 of whom some 45 percent surf the web today, against some 25 percent in 2014.
In the age group between 55 and 64, 91 percent use the web, compared to 80 percent three years ago.
Online shopping is another driver of increased internet usage, the statistics office reported.
In 2014, 56 percent of those surveyed had bought something online within the past three months, while earlier this year that had moved up to two-thirds.
When it comes to security, people appears less knowledgeable than in 2010, the report said.
About a third of those surveyed this year said they didn't use any security software, many saying they didn't know if they had any.
At the same time, security breaches, such as those caused by viruses, are declining.
The statistics office attributed this to users delegating security tasks to others, and to many security updates running automatically.
