INTERNET USAGE IN CROATIA.(Brief Article)

        Just over 36 percent of the population of Croatia over the age of 15 uses the Internet at least once a month. This amounts to 1.2-million people. The conclusion is drawn from a survey conducted by the Zagreb subsidiary of the GfK Group, one of the top 5 income ranked market research firms in the world. The survey was conducted in October of 2004 on the Internet, and the results were compiled from data collected from 1000 respondents.
        Croatia gained its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, and prior to that time had been one of Yugoslavia's most prosperous areas. Croatia has maintained a measure of stability even as Yugoslavia itself broke apart following the vicious military adventures of Slobodan Milosevic. Only in 2003 was Yugoslavia able to reconstruct itself as a loose confederation known as Serbia and Montenegro.
Internet usage is of interest to marketers because it can indicate a growing sophistication in consumption patterns in a market.
        The survey also revealed that 34 percent of the population over the age of 15 had used the Internet. The 15-24 age group are the heaviest users of the Internet. Most users 41 percent are located in and around Zagreb. Cities in Croatia with a population of over 100,000 account for 45 percent of users, indicating that Internet use is largely an urban phenomenon.
A surprising 84 percent of users are online at home. And 30 percent of respondents said that they used the Internet at work.
        Internet users online every day amounted to 35 percent of respondents. And those who surfed "a couple of times a week", said GfK, totalled 39 percent. According to GfK's definition, this means that 74 percent of respondents were "regular" users.