Toronto - More Canadians than ever before are logging onto the Internet, and it seems the global economic downturn has actually led more people to use it.

Eighty-two per cent, or eight out of 10 Canadians, now have Internet access at home, according to a survey by Ipsos Reid.

Internet-use use has gone up by six per cent over the past year since the recession has led more people to use the Web to find new jobs, to save money with online deals and to pay bills.

The Ipsos Reid study indicates the Internet is now so important to the lives of Canadians, that in some areas of the country, Internet access is almost identical to home telephone access.

It also seems age plays a role in the numbers. People younger than 55 years old are logging on more, with 89 per cent Internet access, than those 55-plus, at just 69 per cent.

But the older generation is the fastest growing segment of online users.

Dial-up access is in the last stages of use as only eight per cent of Internet-enabled Canadians access it through this method, while about eight in 10 are using some form of high-speed access.

There has also been a rise in the last 18 months of an 'other' category, widely suspected to be mobile broadband sticks, netbooks and smartphone users.