The latest Pew survey showed that 71% of Chinese say they use the internet at least occasionally or own a smartphone while, in contrast, only 21% of Indians say they use the internet or own a smartphone. The gap between China and India is similarly large when it comes to smartphone ownership. Nearly seven-in-ten Chinese (68%) say they own one as of spring 2016, compared with 18% of Indians. While virtually every Chinese person surveyed owns at least a basic mobile phone (98%), only 72% of Indians can say the same. The Pew survey also revealed an urban-rural gap on smartphone ownership. More urban Chinese (72%) own a smartphone compared with rural Chinese (63%), and the same goes for urban Indians (29%) compared with rural Indians (13%). In India, men (23%) are more likely than women (14%) to own a smartphone. The Pew survey adds that there is also a gap in the use of social media with six-in-ten Chinese saying they use social media, compared with only 14% of Indians. Much of this disparity is due to the fact that more people have access to the internet in China. Nearly two-thirds of Indians with internet access (65%) say they use social media. This figure among the Chinese is 84% and has increased sharply since we first began asking the question in 2013.
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