Symantec research report on UAE computer users

The study identified that 75 per cent of respondents across the EMEA admit that the use of email is addictive, with one in five falling into a new category of emailer called 'the dependent' - individuals who check for email compulsively and panic when they cannot get access. In the UAE this figures currently stands at 36 per cent of respondents who classified themselves as 'dependents'. The country leads the survey in email generation, with local users receiving and sending the highest average number of emails per day of all the respondents across EMEA (60 and 36 respectively).

The research, conducted by Dynamic Markets, identified that respondents fell into four distinct categories with regards to their email usage. These included:
• The Disciplinarian: Relaxed about email but strict about when and where they use it, confining it to office hours and work locations. 40 per cent of users surveyed in the UAE claimed to be disciplinarians
• The Dependents: 36 per cent of respondents in the UAE claimed they compulsively check email, panicking when they don't have access
• The Phobic: 10 per cent of respondents in the UAE claimed to be technophobes when it comes to email, using only the most basic functionality and preferring verbal communication
• The Overwhelmed: 2 per cent of respondents in the UAE get bombarded with email and find it difficult to stay on top of. Many emails are left unread and users dread logging on.

The UAE ranked as the third lowest in terms of time per day spent on email activities, a mere 1.6 hours a day behind France (1.5 hours) and Russia (1.1 hours).

"The study offers some interesting insights into how the use of email has evolved from its introduction as simply a communication tool," said Kevin Isaac, Regional Director, Symantec MENA, "Individuals now use it to manage their diaries and contacts, delegate actions and even treat it as a formal record of events. Email is now effectively a daily diary and it's no surprise that many users are utterly reliant on it to run their business and personal lives"
Dynamic Markets conducted 1,700 quantitative interviews with general employees and IT managers with responsibility for their companies email system. All companies have 500 or more employees from a variety of sectors across Europe, Middle-East and Africa. 15 in-depth qualitative interviews were also conducted.