11.8 million use mobile data to access internet in Malaysia, says Stats Dept

The Statistics Department (DOSM) has released a report on Thursday (Sept 21) regarding the findings of MyCensus 2020: Population Well-Being (Social Relations). The report states that 11.8 million people in Malaysia, who are aged 15 years and older, use mobile data to access the internet.

According to MyCensus 2020, there are seven means of internet access in Malaysia. These include home, workplace, another person’s home, facilities with free internet access, community facilities with internet, educational centers, and mobile data.

Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin revealed that home internet access is the second most preferred method among Malaysians, with 5.3 million users. In addition, 2.6 million people access the internet at their workplaces, 800,000 people use free internet access facilities, 700,000 people use educational centers, 500,000 people use other people’s homes, and 400,000 people use community internet access facilities.

Based on the report, males are the main users of internet access through mobile data (6.1 million), facilities with free internet access (400,000), another person’s home (300,000), and community facilities with internet access (200,000). Females, on the other hand, have higher usage rates for home internet access (2.7 million) and educational centers (400,000).

MyCensus 2020: Population Well-Being (Social Relations) is the second volume of the Population Well-Being publication series, following the Fitness publication released in June. This publication provides statistics on the population aged 15 years and above in four segments, including social media account users, access to the internet, eating together within a week, and face-to-face interaction with neighbors within a month.

It should be noted that the findings in the report are based solely on responses from the survey’s respondents. Respondents were able to choose multiple answers for all segments, except for interaction with neighbors, where only one answer was allowed.

The report also reveals the usage of different social media platforms among Malaysians. Out of the six platforms surveyed, WhatsApp was found to have the highest number of users, with 86.5% or 13.8 million respondents using the platform out of a total of 16 million surveyed individuals. Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, X (formerly known as Twitter), and LinkedIn were also included in the survey, with reported user numbers of 12.3 million, 6.3 million, 3.7 million, 1.9 million, and 800,000 respectively. The report does not take into account the presence of multiple social media accounts held by individuals.

Regarding eating together as a family or with household members, the report states that out of the 13.3 million respondents, 81.9% or 10.9 million respondents eat together during dinner, while two-thirds or 73.4% have breakfast together and 67.4% have lunch together. However, a lower percentage of respondents eat together during hi-tea (19.4%), coffee-break (15.3%), and supper (5.9%).

In terms of frequency, more than 50% of respondents eat together five to seven times a week during breakfast (60.3%), lunch (57.1%), and dinner (75.9%). The report also reveals that more females eat together during various mealtime occasions, such as dinner (5.5 million), breakfast (4.9 million), lunch (4.6 million), coffee break (1.1 million), and hi-tea (1.4 million). In contrast, more males tend to eat together during supper (398,234).

The report also highlights that out of the 14.8 million respondents, 13.8 million individuals engage in face-to-face interaction with neighbors in a month, while 958,808 stated that they never had any face-to-face interaction. It shows that 41.4% of respondents interact with neighbors on a daily basis, 41.5% at least once a week, and 10.6% at least once a month. However, 6.5% or 960,000 respondents admitted that they never had any interaction with neighbors in a month. Additionally, the report indicates that individuals aged 15 to 64 years interact with neighbors at least once a week the most (41.9%), while those aged 65 years and over largely exchange greetings on a daily basis (46.7%).

The information provided in the report gives insights into various aspects of the population’s well-being, including internet access, social media usage, eating habits, and neighborly interactions.

– Bernama