From breakfast table to after work – Austria is online

The internet has become an essential everyday tool for Austrians – in almost all areas of life. For 91 percent of those surveyed, it is one of the most important sources of information, for 83 percent it is a central place of communication, and for 60 percent it is an integral part of their professional activities. Seven out of ten Austrians use the internet for online shopping (69 percent).

Emails and messenger apps are daily companions

For many, online use begins before their first coffee: almost half of women (49 percent) and 40 percent of men check their messenger apps before breakfast. Tyroleans lead the way here with 53 percent in a comparison of federal states. Private emails also have a fixed place in the morning ritual for 41 percent of respondents, especially those in the 55+ generation, as do checking the daily weather forecast (31 percent) and reading the news (27 percent).

Online activity continues throughout the day: 50 percent of Austrians check their emails at least twice a day, and one in five of those surveyed even do so four times or more. This may also be due to the variety of ways in which people can be reached: with more than two-thirds (69 percent), the clear majority of Austrians have two or more email addresses.

The website as a digital business card

When it comes to finding out about a company online, the company's own website remains the most important source of information – despite the rapid growth of social media and review portals: 64 percent of respondents say it is important when researching a company – ahead of review portals (60 percent) and social media profiles (48 percent). The 25- to 34-year-old group (69 percent) and men (67 percent) in particular are increasingly turning to company websites for information. For the 18- to 24-year-old group, AI chatbots already play an important role in their research for 63 percent of them, while they are important for 39 percent of respondents overall.

“The results of the survey show that a professional website is still indispensable for self-employed people or companies today,” says Sandra Trummer-Gabler, managing director of world4you. “A modern, secure, and appealing website is a reliable anchor point on the internet and a company's digital business card. It creates trust and is the foundation for a company's economic success on the internet.”

Basis for purchasing decisions

Upstream research on the Internet has also become an integral part of the purchasing process: 79 percent of consumers visit the company's website before placing an order—as many as 83 percent of Salzburg residents. This makes the website a decisive factor, alongside price comparisons (85 percent) and research into payment and delivery terms (89 percent). The importance of online reviews is also growing: 77 percent of respondents, especially women (81 percent), are influenced by reviews and experiences of other customers.

Focus on security

Given the intensive use of the web, security and data protection are also becoming increasingly important for most Austrians: data security is an important issue for almost everyone when visiting a website (90 percent) – almost two-thirds even consider it very important (64 percent). Despite its widespread use, one-fifth of them also see data protection and security as one of the biggest challenges when it comes to email use (21 percent). 38 percent of respondents include the high volume of spam emails in this category.

About the survey

For the world4you Internet Compass, a total of 2,005 people were surveyed online in September 2025 by the market research company YouGov. The survey was quota-adjusted according to age, gender, and region, and the results were then weighted accordingly. The survey is representative of the Austrian population aged 18 and over.