A survey conducted by CNNIC, China Internet Network Information Center, showed that over recent years there has been a stunning growth in the number of “netizens” - internet users, in both urban and rural China.

According to the survey, which was the twenty-first of its kind carried out by CNNIC, the number of netizens grew by 40 million over the six-month period between June and December 2007 alone. Continued growth in 2008 has placed China second in the world, following closely behind the United States where there are 215 million internet users.

A further finding of the survey was that the rapid overall improvement in economic status for most of China’s population is also reflected in the growth of new-netizens from rural areas. In fact, the rural new-netizen growth rate reached 127.7%, exceeding the growth rate for urban new-netizens. The CNNIC survey also found that, with an increasingly consumer-orientated culture, Chinese from various socioeconomic groups appear to be turning to the internet for entertainment and for network services as well as a means of instant communication.

In terms of the age groups using the internet, the survey found that 31.8% of all netizens are in the 18-24 year old bracket, with students accounting for the largest proportion of the bracket – 28.8%. With regard to professional status of netizens, data gathered in the survey showed that 41.8% of netizens in regular employment work in the private sector, but there also appears to be a gradual, but steady rise in the number of netizens in lower-income groups.