MUSCAT :  The National Centre for Statistics and Information’s (NCSI) released the results of the survey on “Measuring Access and Usage of Information and Communication Technology Among Households and Individuals”.

The survey was carried out in cooperation with the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology during the period from 14 February to 4 March 2021.

The data showed an increase in the usage of laptops in the Sultanate of Oman, as it increased from 34% in 2020 to 38% in 2021, and the use of tablets also grew from 17% to 20% during the same period.

The results also indicated that sending messages via e-mail, WhatsApp or SMS came as the most prevalent arithmetic skill that accounted for 97%, then using copy and pasting tools with 87%, and using basic arithmetic formulas on the data page reached 65%.

It also indicated that 94% of household members own a mobile phone, and 93% of the surveyed individuals used the Internet. The percentage of using the Internet for the purposes of interacting with e-government services increased from 34% in 2020 to 55% in 2021.

The use of online banking services also increased from 38% in 2020 to 53% in 2021, while the percentage of internet usage for educational purposes increased from 28% in 2020 to 39% in 2021.

The results also show that clothes, shoes, sportswear, or accessories are the top types of goods or services that were purchased online, accounting for 66%, while the percentage of foodstuffs purchased online was 56.8%.

The percentage of preference for shopping in stores was 71.8%, while the percentage of disinterest in shopping online was 50.4% of the surveyed sample.

The data also indicate that 94% of families have access to the Internet, and the percentage of tablets in households increased from 37% in 2020 to 51% in 2021, and smart TVs also increased from 47% to 59% during the same period.