Some 70pc of the population of Ireland now carries a smartphone device, according to an Eir survey.

This means 2.37m Irish people use smartphones, which is up from 39pc of the population using smartphones in 2012.

The study found that there is also growing use of digital technologies among older generations, with 45pc of those over the age of 50 going online every day.

The survey found that 75pc of the population of Ireland uses the internet at least once a day, up 6pc year-on-year. Out of this, 18pc claim to be connected during every waking hour, rising to 41pc among 16-to-24-year-olds.

Some 21pc of Irish households now use smart TVs, up from 14pc last year. The Eir study reveals that with people planning to buy new smart TVs, the number of households with smart TVs will exceed 500,000 by the end of the year.

In terms of what people do online, 66pc use the internet to manage email followed by 59pc who view YouTube, while on-demand services like Netflix account for 30pc of users’ time online.

Older generations are now hopping online more frequently and while laptop usage among over-50s remains static at 53pc, smartphone usage has shown a surprising jump from 6pc to 39pc in just a year.

Most parents’ attitudes towards broadband are favourable, according to Eir, with four-out-of-five parents of five-to-17-year-olds saying broadband helps their kids with their homework.

The social nation of Ireland

Unsurprisingly, 94pc of 16-to-24-year-olds are power users of social media, with Facebook being used by 92pc of people in this age group.

Snapchat is used by 67pc of users, Instagram by 58pc of users, Spotify by 39pc of users and Pinterest by 23pc of users.

“The findings really highlight how, as a society, we have an insatiable desire to be connected,” commented Lisa Comerford, director of brand and communications at Eir’s consumer division.

“Whether it’s keeping on top of work emails in the evening, helping children with their homework, looking up the best recipes, or planning a night out, access to the internet and a love of devices play an increasingly central role in our lives. The trends over the past couple of years only point to one thing: demand for greater and better connectivity is only going to increase.”

E-commerce

Despite recent evidence that over 90pc of Irish businesses can’t transact online, with Christmas looming the propensity of Irish consumers to shop online should be a cause for concern as it means money will leave the economy to go overseas.

Clothes (69pc) are now vying with flights (70pc) and hotels (66pc) to be the top online shopping category, with those in Dublin more active compared with rural areas.

Some 57pc of the population say they shop online, equally divided between men and women.

This rises to 77pc for those between 25 and 34.

Ireland is becoming a nation of DIY online doctors

The big finding of the year is people’s attitudes towards lifestyle and health. It points to the rise of the ‘noodie’, individuals who happen to be nutrition foodies and use the internet to find healthy food and recipes.

The study also found that there is an appetite for remote monitoring of health of relatives and family members.

Some 25pc of those surveyed agreed that the internet has become their first port of call when seeking medical advice.

However, one in five agreed that they had worried unnecessarily about their health after reading something online.

Only 7pc would be willing to order pharmaceuticals online.

But do we need to power down?

A need to power down is becoming evident, with 59pc of the working population revealing they do some form of work from home, either checking email or bringing work home.

One in four said that they often catch up with work in the evening or at the weekend.

The survey also showed that 15pc of the working population now run a business from home.

Tech nation infographic

Smartphone user image via Shutterstock