Dan Ness, Principal Analyst, MetaFacts, February 7, 2024
Summary
Online adults in most countries worldwide boosted their computer buying during the pandemic, only to return to near prepandemic levels. In the US and Germany, the peak was in 2021; in the UK, the highest refresh was not until 2023. Online adults in Japan maintained low levels. The highest shares of recently acquired computers were younger adults aged 18 to 24 or 25 to 34.
This MetaFAQs reports on the percentage of online adults who acquired a primary PC in the previous 12 months, split by country and age group.
A pandemic rise for Americans, Germans, and Chinese, with the UK delayed
- Adults in each country responded differently to the pandemic in their computer acquisition, with Americans, Germans, and Chinese at the forefront of increasing their replacement rates
- The rise has been followed by a return to previous levels for Americans
- Adults in the UK maintained low yet stable rates through 2022 and then stepped up in 2023 in a big way
PC acquisition driven by younger adults
- The highest share of adults having acquired a PC recently are those aged 18 to 24, a fact in every country surveyed
- Each progressively older group has a smaller share of its members using a computer acquired in the prior 12 months
- In response to the pandemic, remote working, and economic stimulus, computer acquisition peaked in 2021 in the US and Germany
- Adults among China’s socioeconomically elite sustained high recent-PC levels until 2023, when these rates dropped towards prepandemic levels
Tables – 280 PCxAGE4
About MetaFAQs
MetaFAQs are answers to frequently asked questions about technology users. The research results showcase the TUP/Technology User Profile study, MetaFacts’ survey of a representative sample of online adults profiling the full market’s use of technology products and services. The current wave of TUP is TUP/Technology User Profile 2023, which is TUP’s 41st annual.
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Indexing
Lenses: Devices; PCs; User Profile
Tables: 280 PCxAGE4 PCs by Age Group
Tags: Acquisition, Age, Age groups, Buying Behavior, Computers, Consumer Behavior, Market penetration, PCs, Replacement rates, Trends
Waves: TUP 2017; TUP 2018; TUP 2019; TUP 2020; TUP 2021; TUP 2022; TUP 2023
Item: TUP_doc_2024_0207_youu
Younger-adults-continue-to-drive-computer-acquisition-TUP-2023-TUP_doc_2024_0207_youu-20240420