Survey: Israelis addicted to Whatsapp, don't pay for streaming movies

Israelis increasingly addicted to smartphone applications, rely on technology for entertainment, navigation, socializing.

By NIV ELIS
Apple's iPhone 6 (R) and iPhone 6 Plus. (photo credit: REUTERS)
Apple's iPhone 6 (R) and iPhone 6 Plus.
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Israelis are addicted to WhatsApp, have shifted to online movie-watching, and meet most of their dates online, according to a survey by Bezeq unveiled at The- Marker’s digital conference in Tel Aviv Sunday.
The survey of 522 respondents representative of Israel’s adult population found that Israelis spend more leisure time on the Internet (45 percent) than any other activity (18% with friends and family, 12% on hobbies, books and music, 12% on television and 12% on other activities).
The average user downloaded two gigabytes of data a day on land-based (e.g. non-mobile) Internet connections.
The average family owns five Internet-connected devices.
In 2013, average download speed in Israel surpassed the OECD average for the first time.
Interestingly, Tel Aviv residents spend nearly 50% more time online (6.2 hours a day) than residents of the periphery (4.3 hours a day).
When asked which mobile app they would not be able to do without, 70% said mobile messaging app WhatsApp, a major jump from the 54% who said so in July 2013. Further, 57% said they could not do without Waze, 32% said Facebook, and 15% said their news apps. Some 80% of all Israelis said they use WhatsApp, but once again, more Tel Avivians use WhatsApp than their periphery counterparts (86% to 55%).
More and more, Israelis are turning to the Internet for their entertainment content as well. The survey found that 31% of Israelis read digital books and magazines, 75% watch movies and TV series online, and 80% listen to music online.
Most striking, perhaps, is the shift to watching television content online. The Internet is on par with television as a source for watching movies (40% each, with another 13% seeing movies in theaters and 7% on DVDs).
Of those, the majority (63%) use computers to stream their movies, as opposed to smart TVs, streamers, phones or tablets.
Yet Israelis are loath to pay for their content. Just 5% said they pay for the movies and TV series they stream online.
When it comes to shopping in general, Israelis still prefer brick and mortar store. When buying clothing, books, or food, fewer than 20% of Israelis do their shopping online. About a third buy insurance or electronics on the Web. The only exception is vacations, where 60% buy flights or hotel deals from foreign sites and 20% from local ones.
People are using the Internet to meet one another.
Some 38% of respondents said they made new friends online, and the Internet has become the top way couples meet, accounting for 32% of new relationships as opposed to 6% just five years ago.
Before the Internet came along, people relied more on meeting love interests in school, the army or work (39% of new relationships five years ago, down to 17% today).
Meeting new paramours through friends also fell, from 37% to 24%, though more people were meeting at bars and clubs (up to 19% from 9%).


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