The 2008 Survey on Netizens Behavior, from the Internet Society of China (ISC), China Internet Network Information Center (CINIC) and I Research, suggests the Internet is rapidly taking over people's lives. Many Chinese Internet users spend over 8 hours on the Web every day, and those most hooked have been surfing since an early age.

Netizens from 50 domestic mainstream websites actively participated in the survey, completing over 83,000 questionnaires.

The survey asked users about their main interests, and how old they were when they first got access to the Internet.

Most Chinese net users are below 35 years old, and 32.1 percent of those under 18 first got access to the Internet when they were about ten years old.

By 2008, many were beginning to use the net because of the demands of business. Of those who spend more than 8 hours on the Internet per day, 40.3 percent say they mainly surf in the office, often using QQ and MSN online communication tools.

The survey found interesting differences in the preferences of the sexes. Women and girls go for online communities and shopping, while men and boys are mainly interested in news, financial sites and online games.

The top ten events of 2008 according to netizens were the Wenchuan Earthquake, the Beijing Olympics, the Sanlu tainted milk scandal, the Spring Festival snow disaster, the Shenzhou VII mission, the U.S. sub-prime crisis, the stock market slump, government intervention in the property market, the reform of China's Golden Week vacations, and fluctuations in international oil prices.

(China.org.cn by Ma Yujia, January 14, 2009)