Despite a general slowdown in consumer spending, Italians continue to shell out cash to buy computers and other high-tech products, according to a new report.
In its February monthly report, the economic think-tank Isae said that the percentage of Italian families owning at least one computer rose from 45.3% a year ago to 49.6% last month.
The percentage of Italian families accessing the Internet jumped from 38.7% to 43.1% for the same period and 75% of these had broadband connection, Isae added.
In the area of home entertainment, Isae found that the percentage of homes with a DVD player last month was over 52%, compared to 46% in February 2007, while the percentage of families with high-tech TVs in one year leapt from 8.8% to 18.3% and those with satellite or digital hook-ups jumped from 17.8% to 29.9%.
From February to February, Isae said, the percentage of families with digital photo or video cameras climbed from 28.8% to 36.1% and those with satellite navigators rose from 5.2% to 8.6%.
Despite these strong gains, Isae observed, the propensity of Italian consumers to buy the latest technological gadgets was much less than the boom recorded for mobile telephones in the late 1990s and first years of the new decade.
The Isae report confirmed consumer spending in Italy on technological products was in line with that of other leading European countries like France and Britain.
However, Italy still lagged behind these countries in regard to accessing the Internet.
From a socio-economic point of view, Isae said that computers and high-tech technology was more easily found in the homes of families with higher incomes and education.
These products were also more likely to be found in the homes of younger families and single-male households than older families and single-female families, Isae said.
