NRI Online 2006
Indian Connectedness of
Online NRI

© Copy Right JuxtConsult

Table of Content
NRI Online 2006 ........................................................... 1
Methodology ............................................................... 3
Executive Summary ...................................................... 5
Detailed Findings:
Non Residential Status ..................................................10
Half the online NRI are South Indians in origin .....................12
Online NRI are largely mature males .................................15
Only 1 in 5 west-based online NRI is a ‘techie’.....................19
West-based online NRI are economically better off ...............22
Gulf-based online NRI are more connected with India ............24
West-based NRI are more 'online' .....................................45
Gulf NRI access Internet more from office, west ones more from
homes .....................................................................48
Both surf for Indian content almost equally ........................52
Politics and economy are the most surfed Indian content........54
Gulf ones buy from Indian websites relatively more...............55
Website Preferences for Indian Content.............................59
Offline media preferences for Indian content ......................74
Index.......................................................................78

NRI Online 2006
NRI Online 2006
The Indian Diaspora is spread across the world ranging from those in the
economic superpowers to those in the countries that have just fledgling
economies. No matter where they may be living, most Non-resident
Indians (NRI) would like to stay connected with their homeland in some
or the other way.
This desire among the NRI to stay connected with India translates into
making them a very ‘high purchasing power’ consumer segment base
for most Indian marketers. Whether it is traveling, real estate, financial
savings and investments, jewelry, handicrafts, food items or herbal
products, NRI or their relatives back home form a significant part of the
‘high value’ Indian consumption.
In the last few years Internet has emerged as one of the important
mediums for the Non-resident Indians to stay connected with India. NRI
are increasingly using the Internet to communicate with people back
home, and to maintain the economic, social, political and philanthropic
networks with the Indian homeland. Yet there is very little information
available on the online connectivity of the NRI with India.
To fill this yawning information gap, JuxtConsult, in addition to its
annual study on online Indians, decided to track the online NRI as well
on an annual basis. This years study, titled the NRI Online 2006
attempts to not only understand the overall connectivity of NRI with
India but also the role Internet is playing in facilitating it.
The findings of the NRI Online 2006 report from JuxtConsult are based
on an online survey conducted with the NRI Diaspora living in various
parts of the world.
The objective of the study was not to measure how many NRI are online
or what proportion come from which regions. It was essentially to check
their status and preferences in staying connected with India and their
online behavior in doing so.
However, the study does highlight the demographic and economic
profile of the online NRI, along with their preferred ways to stay
connected with India in both online and offline modes.
To make the report even more meaningful for Indian marketers, the NRI
Diaspora have been grouped into 2 main clusters – Gulf-based NRI and
West-based NRI. This has been done to capture the two ‘distinct’ and
really big NRI markets and compare and contrast their motivations and
usage of Internet to stay connected with India.
1

NRI Online 2006
Key Information Areas Covered
Demographic and Economic profile (current region of residence,
visa status, gender, age, occupation, family size, monthly
household income in US$, vehicle ownership, city of origin in India,
native language)
Physical connectivity with India (frequency of travel to India for
personal and professional reasons, visit individually or with family)
Communicational connectivity with India (frequency of calling and
emailing India for personal and professional reasons)
Informational connectivity (preferred medium to stay connected
with India, frequency of usage of media channels and preferred
brands/websites to do so –TV, Newspaper, Internet, content areas
sought/checked more)
Emotional Connectivity (motivation to stay connected with India,
Indian role models)
Financial Connectivity (key financial assets in India, likely financial
investments, frequency and preferred modes of financial
remittance to India)
Online connectivity
Net Usage Dynamics like years of experience in using Internet,
place of regular access, frequency of usage from home and
office, type of connection a home, average time spent on the
net at home or office, etc.
Website preferences for surfing Indian content like checking
news and events in India, online shopping for Indian products,
booking travel tickets to India, checking real estate info from
India, job search in India, general info search about India,
matrimonial search, seeking friendships in India, check Indian
cinema, sports, music and fashion contents, etc.
Online Buying from Indian Websites like frequency of buying
from these websites, products bought along with average
monthly spends, etc.
2

NRI Online 2006
Methodology
The task of conducting an online survey among the Indian Diaspora
spread across the world appeared a tough challenge to begin with. How
does one effectively reach all these widely spread out NRI in different
countries? Which online vehicles or websites do we consider to be able
to reach them noticeably, cast the net wide enough and yet do so in a
cost-efficient manner? How does one ensure that the responses
collected are representative of the online NRI across different regions
of the globe and not reflect just one particular section of NRI in a
biased way?
After a lot of brainstorming on the possible methods to conduct this
online survey, and after considering the pros and cons of these methods
in line with out prior experience of conducting such online surveys over
last 2 years, we zeroed down on using the ‘contextual search ad’ based
survey campaign with Google AdWords. The final choice was a result of
two critical advantages the vehicle had in case of this survey:
Google AdWords allowed us to undertake a ‘geographically
targeted’ campaign by which we could reach and cover all the key
regions of the world specifically and using just one online vehicle,
rather than having to go with a big bouquet of websites targeting
NRI.
As generic info search is done by almost by all netizens no matter
who they are and from where they access the net, using this vehicle
would really help us cast an unbiased and a wide enough net on the
world-wide-web to capture the NRI population no matter where
they are based.
Accordingly, an online survey was conducted between May-June 2006
among the NRI from the various parts of the world.
The survey was conducted using an online questionnaire segmented into
two sections. The questionnaire was pre-tested and timed to take
approximately 15-20 minutes for a respondent to complete depending
on the speed of comprehension and answering of the questions. The
questionnaire was structured and designed to reduce the level of
‘respondent fatigue’ to an extent that was practically possible.
In the online questionnaire, a response format of ‘clicking’ a single or
multiple options among the various given options was used for most
questions. For each of these questions it was also possible for a
respondent to answer ‘none’ or ‘any other’. However, wherever the
respondents were asked to give preferences for websites or brand
names, only a text box was provided for them to type the name on
their own (or type ‘none’ if not applicable). This was done to ensure
that all such recall and preference responses were solicited
‘unprompted’.
Further, to enlist complete and sincere responses, an incentive of a
significant cash prize was also announced for one selected respondent
to be given at the end of the survey.
3

NRI Online 2006
Over 1,630 completed, As the final usable sample collected from the 3
cluster groups of online NRI were different, to ensure that the overall
online NRI level information is not biased towards any one specific NRI
cluster group, the different sample bases of the 3 groups of online NRI
were equalized using response level weights. Unduplicated and usable
responses were collected on the India connectedness of the online NRI.
Of these about 1,000 NRI also reported their net usage & preference
details.
The net result was the compilation of the latest, highly authentic
information on the online connectedness, Internet habits and website
preferences of online NRI. This information was then used for making
‘insightful’ analysis and conclusions as contained in the NRI Online 2006
report.
To make the report more meaningful for Indian marketers targeting
NRI, the NRI have been grouped into 2 main clusters – gulf-based NRI
and the western countries based NRI (west-based NRI). This ensured
that we not only capture the two ‘distinct’ and really big NRI markets
but also compare and contrast their motivations and usage of Internet
to stay connected with India.
The final NRI groups with their sample bases used in the report are as
follows:
Table 1: Sample Distribution
NRI Groups Country/Region of Current Location Sample Base
US, Canada, Central America, Western Europe,
West based NRI 502
Australia
Gulf based NRI Middle East 859
South Asia, South East Asia, Eastern Europe, Africa,
Other NRI 270
South America
Total NRI 1631
4

NRI Online 2006
Executive Summary
‘Family connection’ is largely what keeps online NRI hooked to
India
By and large two-thirds of the NRI, irrespective of whether they are
based in gulf or in the more developed parts of the world feel that
what binds them to India is their ‘family’ back home. Gulf ones
highlight family connection somewhat more at 72% as against 63% of
west-based ones.
In fact, only about 1 in 4 online NRI feels connected to India because of
patriotic feelings for the home country or towards its culture and
heritage. West-based ones do so marginally more at 24% than gulf-
based ones at 19%.
Gulf-based online NRI are more connected with India
The gulf-based online NRI not only show higher physical, financial and
communicational connectivity with India but higher informational and
entertainment-related connectivity as well.
Gulf-based online NRI travels to India more frequently for both
personal and professional reasons. 80% of them claim to travel to
India at least once in 3 months for personal reasons. In comparison,
only 54% of west-based NRI claim to travel to India for personal
reasons that frequently.
Gulf-based online NRI also call their family and friends in India
more. 92% of them call India at least once a week for personal
reasons (80% of west-based NRI also do so).
Gulf-based online NRI email also relatively more frequently for
personal reasons. One in 2 out of them (49%) corresponds with
people back home on email every day. In comparison, 41% of west-
based online NRI email people back home everyday.
Gulf-based online NRI remit money to India more frequently. 9 out
of 10 online NRI based in the gulf (87%) remit money to India at
least once a month. In comparison, only 1 in 2 west-based NRI (47%)
remits money to India at least once a month.
Compared to the west-based NRI they also check information about
India more, though they do so relatively more using the ‘offline’
mediums.
West-based online NRI connect more online
Between the two NRI groups, the west-based online NRI rely on Internet
relatively more to stay connected with happenings in India. While 2 out
of 3 west-based online NRI (64%) prefer to stay updated with
happenings in India online, only about 1 in 3 gulf-based online NRI (39%)
prefers to do so. In fact, a higher proportion of gulf-based online NRI
(48%) prefer to update themselves about Indian happening through the
electronic media (TV largely). Only 1 in 5 west-based NRI (19%) prefers
electronic media to check happening about India.
5

NRI Online 2006
It is not that the gulf-based ones surf the net less regularly than the
west-based ones to check Indian content, it is just that they use the
offline mediums significantly more to watch or read about India.
Both groups keep a keen eye on India’s economic progress
By and large online NRI are more interested in ‘economic progress’ and
‘political stability’ of the country (India) than anything else.
Interestingly, this is in quite in variance to what generally online
Indians in India are interested in. Compared to the online NRI, the
online Indians show far greater interest in entertainment content
(sports, cinema, lifestyle, etc.) And far less in the economic progress
and political developments in the country.
This contrast is also reflected in the Indian role models that online NRI
have as compared to the online Indians. While online Indians see
business, sports and cinema celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan,
Dhirubahi Ambani, Sachin Tendulkar or Shah Rukh Khan as the relatively
bigger role models in their lives (apart from their parents), the online
NRI look up to APJ Abdul Kalam, Mahatma Gandhi and Manmohan Singh
as bigger role models than these celebrities.
Between the two online NRI groups, while the gulf-based ones seek
economic progress and sports content relatively more, the west-based
ones seek cinema, fashion and religion/spirituality content relatively
more.
Online NRI show high level of keenness to invest in India
Despite very high current ownership of assets in India, a significant
proportion of online NRI would like to invest further in India, especially
in the physical assets.
Though 2 out of 3 online NRI already have bank accounts and houses
back in India, almost half the online NRI would still like to invest in a
house or land in India in the near future. In comparison only around 1 in
4 online NRI would like to invest in financial assets.
Amongst the two groups of online NRI, the gulf-based ones not only
show relatively higher current ownership of both physical and financial
assets in India, but are also the ones who show relatively higher
propensity to make further investments in shares and deposits in India
as compared to the west-based ones. The west-based ones show a
relatively higher propensity for opening bank accounts in India.
Gulf ones prefer to remit money more through the banking
channels
Contrary to the popular perception, when it comes to the mode of
remitting the money to India, it is the gulf-based online NRI who trust
the banking modes of transferring funds to India relatively more (both
online and offline). While only 2 out of 3 west-based online NRI (65%)
prefer to remit money through online or offline bank based transfers or
transactions, a significantly higher 80% gulf-based online NRI rely on
6

NRI Online 2006
such modes of transfer. This higher preference for banking modes by
the gulf-based online NRI may have something to do with the fact that
they remit money to India more frequently.
West-based NRI are generally the heavier users of the net, but
not the heavier users of Indian content on the net
Not only a noticeably higher proportion of west-based online NRI access
the net several times a day but also significantly more of them use the
net for more than 2 hours a day from home.
However, when it comes to the usage of Indian content online at home,
almost 20% of each of the west-based and gulf-based online NRI who
use the Internet for more than 2 hours a day, also uses the Internet to
check Indian content for more than 2 hours a day.
The story is no different for usage of Indian content from the offices as
well. The gulf-based online NRI are almost as heavy users of the net
from office as the west-based ones, and they check Indian content from
office somewhat more heavily than the west-based ones.
For entertainment, online NRI connect with Indian music the
most
In terms of connectivity with Indian ‘entertainment’, online NRI listen
to Indian music the most regularly. Three out of 4 online NRI (75%)
listens to Indian music everyday. In comparison, only 35% watch Indian
movie everyday, 36% watch Indian sports everyday and 17% check Indian
fashion everyday.
The gulf-based online NRI follow the Indian sports content significantly
more regularly. At the same time, the gulf-based online NRI follow
Indian movies, music and fashion also somewhat more regularly than
the west-based NRI.
Online NRI are largely mature males
Only 1 in 5 online NRI (19%) is a woman. This is noticeably lower than
the proportion women form among online Indians in India (25%).
However, this is largely because women form only 12% of gulf-based
online NRI. Among the west-based online NRI women form 28% of the
online population.
Online NRI are also significantly older in age than online Indians in
India. While two-third of the online Indians in India (70%) are below 30
years of age, only about one-third online NRI (39%) are below 30 years
in age.
Half the online NRI are South Indians in origin
Almost every second online Indian is from South India (54%). North India
origin NRI come next at 23%, followed by western regions ones at 19%.
This dominance of NRI from South India among the online NRI is because
of their very heavy presence in Gulf, where every 2 out of 3 online NRI
7

NRI Online 2006
is of South Indian origin. At the same time however, 1 in every 3 west-
based online NRI is also from South India (36%).
Only 1 in 5 west-based online NRI is a ‘Techie’
Though west-based online NRI come relatively more from the IT sector
(21%) in comparison to the gulf-based ones (11%), still only 1 in 5 west-
based online NRI is a ‘techie’. This is contrary to the popular
perception that almost assumes every second online NRI from the
developed countries to be an IT professional.
An equal proportion of gulf-based online NRI are professionally
qualified
Though west-based online NRI have higher levels of educations (36% of
them being post-graduate or above, against 17% gulf-based ones),
proportionately as many online NRI from gulf are professionally
qualified as from the western countries. Only 1 in 5 online NRI has a
professional education/qualification, irrespective of whether they are
west-based or gulf-based.
However, gulf-based online NRI work significantly more in the corporate
sector. Two out of 3 of them work as corporate employees of various
levels. In comparison, only 1 in 3 west-based online NRI works as a
corporate employee. In fact, 40% of west-based online NRI come under
unemployed/semi-employed categories (students, housewives, and
unspecified others).
But gulf-based online NRI have significantly lower incomes
Almost 40% of west-based online NRI have monthly family incomes of
over US$ 5,000. In comparison, only 14% gulf-based NRI have such high
level of incomes. In fact, almost half of gulf-based online NRI have
monthly incomes of less than US$ 2,000. Similarly, while 3 out of 4
west-based online NRI own a car, only 1 in 2 gulf-based online NRI own
a car. In all about 58% of online NRI own a car, almost double the
proportion of what online Indians in India own (27%).
In sum, by and large the online NRI are highly connected with India,
both because of their strong ‘family linkages’ back home as well as
their high levels of concern about the ‘progress’ of their homeland. In
this, the gulf-based online NRI are noticeably more linked to India than
the west-based ones and understandably so.
The gulf-based online NRI are significantly more the ‘bread earners’ of
their families back home. Accordingly their stakes and involvement
levels are higher, both emotionally and financially. Further, they are
much closer to India both in time and distance. The perceived
‘proximity’ also makes them connect with the homeland with more
regularity, be it connecting physically, in communication, or in seeking
information and entertainment content about India.
Though the west-based online NRI prefer to stay connected with India
using the Internet relatively more, and may be classified as the more
‘online NRI’ per se, in effect they connect with India on the net only as
regularly as the gulf ones do.
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NRI Online 2006
Detailed Findings
9

NRI Online 2006
Non Residential
Status
Region of residence
In this report, the online NRI have been grouped into 2 main clusters -
gulf country based NRI and western countries based NRI. This has been
done to capture the two ‘distinct’ and really big NRI markets and
compare and contrast their motivations and usage of Internet to stay
connected with India.
The final NRI groups with their sample bases as reported are:
West-based NRI – US, Canada, Central America, Western Europe,
Australia (Sample base – 502)
Gulf-based NRI - Middle East (Sample base – 859)
Other NRI – South & South East Asia, Eastern Europe, Africa, South
America (Sample base – 270)
To report unbiased findings at the overall NRI level, the different
sample bases of the 3 groups of NRI were equalized using response level
weights.
Chart 1: Region of Current or Permanent Residence
100% 2% Eastern Europe/ Russia
6% 2%
7%
4% 2%
7% 13% 6% Central, South America/
80% 7% M exico/ Caribbean
17%
21% Australia/New Zealand
20%
60%
South East Asia/ Japan/
100% China
23%
Western, Southern
40%
70% Europe/ Scandinavia
60%
Africa/ South Africa
20%
33%
South Asia
0% North America/ Canada
West- Gulf- Other NRI All NRI
Based Based M iddle East
NRI NRI
Base: 1,631
10

NRI Online 2006
Visa status
While almost 9 out of 10 gulf-based online NRI (86%) have resident visas
with work permit, only 1 in 4 west-based online NRI is has a resident
visa with work permit. This difference is largely because almost 1 in 2
online NRI from the western countries (52%) has already acquired a
local citizen or has a special residential status like green card.
Chart 2: Visa Status
Resident Visa with work permit
Citizenship / Green Cards
Others
100% 86%
80%
50% 54%
60% 49%
26% 26%25% 26%21%
40% 25%
12%
20% 2%
0%
West-Based Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
NRI
Base: 1,631
11

NRI Online 2006
Half the online NRI
are South Indians in
origin
Indian regions they come from
Almost every second online Indian is from South India (54%). North India
origin NRI come next at 23%, followed by western regions ones at 19%.
This dominance of NRI from South India among online NRI is because of
their very heavy presence in Gulf, where every 2 out of 3 NRI is a south
Indian origin.
South based NRI however make a significant proportion of the western
country based online NRI as well. One in every 3 west-based online NRI
is also from South India (36%). Here Indians with origin in North take a
marginal lead over the south by accounting for 38% of the west-based
online NRI. North India origin NRI forms only 10% of the gulf-based
online NRI.
Table 2: Regional Distribution by Place of Origin in India
Region West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
North 38% 10% 20% 23%
East 6% 3% 4% 5%
South 36% 68% 58% 54%
West 20% 20% 18% 19%
Base: 1,631
12

NRI Online 2006
City of origin in India
Kochi and Hyderabad stand out as cities from where gulf-based online
NRI originally come more from, while for west based ones it is
Hyderabad and Delhi.
Table 3: Top 10 Cities by Place of Origin
City West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Kochi 5% 18% 13% 12%
Others from South India 5% 17% 12% 11%
Hyderabad 10% 7% 10% 9%
Mumbai 6% 11% 7% 8%
Chennai 5% 7% 8% 7%
Delhi 9% 3% 5% 6%
Bangalore 5% 5% 5% 5%
Others from North India 9% 3% 3% 5%
Thiruvananthapuram 2% 7% 6% 5%
Ludhiana 7% 0.1% 2% 3%
Base: 1,631
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NRI Online 2006
Native language
Malayalam tops as the native language of 40% of online gulf NRI’s. It is
followed by Urdu, Tamil and Hindi in that order.
Among western ones, Punjabi tops at 21%. It is followed by Hindi,
Telugu and Gujrati.
Table 4: Top 10 Native Languages
Language West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Malayalam 9% 39% 26% 25%
Hindi 13% 9% 10% 11%
Tamil 8% 10% 10% 10%
Urdu 3% 13% 10% 9%
Punjabi 21% 1% 3% 9%
Telugu 11% 4% 7% 7%
Gujrati 10% 3% 6% 6%
Kannada 5% 4% 3% 4%
Konkani 0.8% 5% 2% 3%
Marathi 3% 2% 2% 2%
Base: 1,631
14

NRI Online 2006
Online NRI are
largely mature males
Gender
Women form 19% of online NRI. This is noticeably lower than the
proportion women form among online Indians in India (25%). This may
be largely because women form only 12% of gulf NRI. Among the west
based NRI they form 28% of the online population, marginally higher
than the online Indians in India.
Chart 3: Gender Representation
Male Female
100%
88%
82% 81%
72%
80%
60%
40%
28%
19%
19%
20% 12%
0%
West-Based Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
NRI
Base: 1,631
15

NRI Online 2006
Age distribution
Online NRI are significantly older in age than online Indians in India.
While two-third of the online Indians (70%) in India are below 30 years
of age, only about one-third online NRI (39%) are below 30 years in age.
In fact even among the west-based online NRI, only 1 in 2 (47%) of them
are under 30 years of age. Almost 3 out of four gulf-based online NRI
are over 30 years of age.
Chart 4: Distribution by Age Group
13 to 30 Years Above 30 Years
80%
71%
61%
58%
60% 53%
47%
42%
39%
40%
29%
20%
0%
West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Base: 1,631
16

NRI Online 2006
Marital status
Though western online NRI are relatively younger in age, yet even 2 out
of 3 of them (68%) are married. 78% of gulf-based online NRI are also
married.
Chart 5: Marital Status
Single Married
80% 78%
69%
68%
62%
60%
35%
40%
31% 29%
21%
20%
0%
West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Base: 1,631
17

NRI Online 2006
Family size
West-based online NRI have proportionately smaller size families.
Almost 1 in 3 west-based online NRI (33%) has a family size up to 2
members in the family. In comparison only 18% of gulf-based online NRI
have family size of 2 or less.
Chart 6: Size of the Family They Represent
Upto 2 Members More than 2 Members
100%
82% 82%
77%
80%
68%
60%
40% 33%
23%
18% 18%
20%
0%
West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Average: 3.2 3.5 3.6 3.4
Base: 1,631
18

NRI Online 2006
Only 1 in 5 west-
based online NRI is a
‘techie’
Educational Qualification
Proportionately as many online NRI from gulf are professionally
qualified as from the western countries. Only 1 in 5 online NRI has a
professional education/qualification, irrespective of whether they are
west-based or gulf-based.
However, west-based online NRI are otherwise significantly more
educated with a much higher proportion of them having post-graduates
and plus education levels (36%) than the gulf-based ones (17%).
Table 5: Highest Level of Education
Education West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Up to School 8% 10% 14% 10%
Graduate 33% 48% 37% 39%
Post Graduate 30% 16% 18% 21%
Doctorate 6% 0.7% 2% 3%
Professional Qualification 20% 22% 20% 21%
Base: 1,631
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NRI Online 2006
Occupation
Gulf-based online NRI work significantly more in the corporate sector.
Two out of 3 of them work as corporate employees of various levels. In
comparison, only 1 in 3 west-based online NRI (31%) work as a corporate
employee.
West-based online NRI are significantly more self-employed (21%) as
against the gulf-based ones (13%).
But most importantly, a bulk 40% of west-based online NRI come under
unemployed/semi-employed categories (students, housewives,
unspecified others) whereas only 17% of gulf-based online NRI come
under these unemployed/semi-employed categories.
Chart 7: Occupational Break Up
70% 67%
60%
45%
50%
40%
37%
40% 33%
31% 30%
30% 21% 21%
18%
17%
20% 13%
8%
7% 6%
10% 3%
0%
West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Businessmen Self Employed Professionals
Corporate Executives Others
Base: 1,631
20

NRI Online 2006
Functional background
The west-based online NRI come relatively more from the IT sector
(21%) in comparison to the gulf-based ones (11%).
However, this still means that only 1 in 5 west-based online NRI is a
‘techie’, against the popular perception which almost assumes every
second online NRI from the developed countries to be an IT
professional.
Chart 8: Field of Functional/Occupational Background
IT/Software NON/IT Others
59%
60% 53% 53%
47%
50%
36%
40% 33%
32%
30%
30%
21%
20% 14%
11% 11%
10%
0%
West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Base: 1,631
21

NRI Online 2006
West-based online
NRI are economically
better off
Household Incomes
West-based online NRI earn significantly more than. Almost 4 out of 10
of them have monthly incomes over US$ 5,000. In comparison, only 14%
gulf-based online NRI have such high level of incomes. In fact, almost
half of the gulf-based online NRI have monthly incomes of less than US$
2,000. Only a quarter of online western NRI have such low incomes.
However, an equal proportion of gulf-based and west-based NRI come
from the middle income NRI groups (between US$ 2,000 to US$ 5,000),
at 38% each.
Chart 9: Distribution by Monthly Income of the Household
Less than US$ 2K US$ 2K - US$ 5K Above US$ 5k
50% 49%
48%
39% 40%
38%
37%
40% 36%
34%
30%
25% 24%
18%
20%
14%
10%
0%
West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Base: 1,631
22

NRI Online 2006
Vehicle ownerships
While 3 out of 4 west-based online NRI (71%) own a car, only 1 in 2 gulf-
based online NRI own a car (53%).
In all about 58% of online NRI own a car, almost the double of what
online Indians in India own (27%).
Chart 10: Most Expensive Vehicle Owned by the Household
Four Wheeler Two Wheeler Don’t own either
80%
72%
70%
60%
58%
53% 50%
50%
40%
32%
30%
26%
23% 27%
20% 20%
16%
9% 15%
10%
0%
West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Base: 1,631
23

NRI Online 2006
Gulf-based online
NRI are more
connected with India
Emotional Connectivity
Motivation for Staying Connected with India
Family connection is what essentially keeps online NRI hooked to India.
By and large two-thirds of online NRI, irrespective of whether they are
bases in gulf or in the more developed parts of the world, feel that
what binds them to India is their ‘family’ back home. Gulf ones
highlight family connection somewhat more at 72%. At 63%, west-based
ones also highlight this connection the most.
Only about 1 in 4 online NRI feels connected to India essentially
because of patriotic feelings for the home country or towards its
culture and heritage. West-based ones do so marginally more at 24%
than gulf-based ones at 19%.
Chart 11: Motivation to Stay Connected with India
Family Patriotic Feelings/ Culture & Heritage Property
80%
72%
66%
63% 63%
60%
40%
24% 23% 22%
19%
20%
5% 3%
3% 2%
0%
West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Base: 1,631
24

NRI Online 2006
Indian Role Models
The online NRI look at APJ Abdul Kalam, Mahatma Gandhi and
Manmohan Singh as bigger role models than business, sports or cinema
celebrities.
This is in contrast to role models the online Indians living in India have.
Online Indians see business, sports and cinema celebrities like Amitabh
Bachchan, Dhirubahi Ambani, Sachin Tendulkar or Shah Rukh Khan as
the bigger role models in their lives (apart from their parents).
Table 6: Top Ten Indian Role Models of Online NRI
Role Models West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
A P J Abdul Kalam 7% 12% 4% 8%
Mahatma Gandhi 6% 5% 9% 7%
Dr Manmohan Singh 4% 4% 3% 4%
Amitabh Bacchan 3% 3% 4% 3%
Father 3% 3% 3% 3%
Mrs. Sonia Gandhi 1% 4% 2% 2%
Sachin Tendulkar 3% 1% 3% 2%
Aishwariya Rai 0.8% 2% 3% 2%
Rajeev Gandhi 0.8% 3% 2% 2%
Mother Teresa 2% 2% 1% 2%
Base: 1,631
25

NRI Online 2006
Physical connectivity
Travel to India for Personal Reasons
Online NRI travel to India more frequently for personal reasons, with
almost 2 out 3 of them (69%) visiting India at least once in 3 months for
this reason.
The high frequency of travel to India is largely driven by the gulf-based
online NRI, 80% of whom claim to travel to India that frequently. In
comparison, only 54% of west-based NRI claim to travel to India at least
once in 3 months for personal reasons.
Online NRI travel relatively more with their families when traveling to
India for personal reasons. Two out of 3 west-based online NRI (63%)
travel with family on such occasions while only 1 in 2 gulf-based online
NRI (50%) does so.
Chart 12: Frequency of Visit to India for Personal Reasons
At least once in 3 months Less than once in 3 months
Never traveled to India
100%
81%
80% 73%
69%
60% 54%
35%
40%
23%
17% 18%
20% 11% 9%
8%
2%
0%
West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Base: 1,631
26

NRI Online 2006
Travel to India for professional reasons
On the other hand, only about 1 in 3 online NRI (39%) travel to India at
least once in 3 months for professional reasons.
Here again the gulf-based online NRI travel more frequently with 41% of
them traveling at least once in 3 months. In comparison, only 27% of
west-based NRI travel to India that frequently for professional reasons.
Chart 13: Frequency of Visit to India for Professional Reasons
At least once in 3 months Less than once in 3 months
Never traveled to India
60%
53%
48%
41%
41%
38%
39%
40%
31%
27%
21% 21%
21%
20%
20%
0%
West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Base: 1,631
27

NRI Online 2006
Communication connectivity
Phone Calls for Personal Reason
Online NRI call India significantly more for personal reasons than for
professional reasons.
While 1 in 4 online NRI (28%) calls India for personal reasons at least
once a day, another 56% call at least once a week.
The gulf-based online NRI call India relatively more frequently, with
92% of them calling India at least once a week for personal reasons (80%
of west-based NRI also do so).
Chart 14: Frequency of Calling India for Personal Reasons
At least once a day At least once a week
Less than a week/Never
80%
64%
59%
60% 56%
46%
40%
32%
28% 28%
23%
23% 19% 16%
20%
8%
0%
West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Base: 1,631
28

NRI Online 2006
Phone calls for professional reason
In comparison, only 14% online NRI call India at least once a day for
professional reasons, with another 20% calling once a week.
The online NRI of both the groups call almost equally infrequently to
India for professional reasons.
Chart 15: Frequency of Calling India for Professional Reasons
At least once a day At least once a week
Less than a week/Never
100%
80% 72%
67% 66%
59%
60%
40%
22% 21% 21% 20%
18% 14%
20% 11% 11%
0%
West-Based Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
NRI
Base: 1,631
29

NRI Online 2006
Emailing for personal reason
Almost twice the proportions of online NRI (both gulf-based and west-
based) ‘communicate’ with their family, friends and colleagues India on
a daily basis using an email rather than a phone.
Gulf-based online NRI email relatively more frequently for personal
reasons.
One in 2 out of them (49%) corresponds with people back home on
email every day. In comparison, 41% of west-based online NRI email
people back home everyday.
Chart 16: Send or Receive E-Mails From/To India for Personal Reasons
At least once a day At least once a week
Less than a week/Never
49%
50% 48% 46%
41%
40%
34%
32%
31%
27% 27%
30%
26%
24%
17%
20%
10%
0%
West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Base: 1,631
30

NRI Online 2006
Emailing for professional reason
Once again both the online NRI groups email for professional reasons
significantly less frequently.
Only 1 in 2 gulf-based ones (25%) email someone in India for
professional reasons, while a marginally lower 21% of west-based online
NRI do the same.
Chart 17: Send or Receive E-Mails From/To India for Professional
Reasons
At least once a day At least once a week
L h k/N
70%
59%
60% 53%
52%
47%
50%
40%
27%
25%23% 25%
30% 24%23%
21%21%
20%
10%
0%
West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Base: 1,631
31

NRI Online 2006
Informational connectivity
Medium used for staying updated on India
While 2 out of 3 west-based NRI (64%) prefer to stay updated with
happenings in India using the Internet more, only about 1 in 3 gulf-
based online NRI (39%) prefers to do so.
In fact, a noticeably higher proportion of the gulf-based online NRI
(48%) prefer to update themselves about Indian happening through the
electronic media (TV largely). Only 1 in 5 west-based NRI (19%) prefers
electronic media to check happening about India.
Chart 18: Preferred Medium to Follow Happenings in India
Internet Eloctronic Media Print Media
70%
64%
60%
49%
48%
50% 44%
39%
40% 35%
34%
30%
21%
19%
16%
20%
13% 13%
10%
0%
West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Base: 1,631
32

NRI Online 2006
Usage of electronic medium
Two out of 3 online NRI (69%) watch Indian programs on TV daily.
While 86% of gulf-based online NRI watch Indian programs on TV daily
only 50% of west-based ones do so daily.
Chart 19: Frequency of Watching Indian TV Programs
At least once a day At least once a week
Less than a week/Never
100%
86%
80%
72% 69%
60% 50%
40% 29%
21% 18%
18%
13%
20% 11%
7% 7%
0%
West-Based Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
NRI
Base: 1,631
33

NRI Online 2006
Usage of print medium
Two out of 3 online NRI (69%) read Indian newspaper and magazine
daily as well.
While 81% of gulf-based online NRI read about India in the print medium
daily only 60% of the west-based ones do so daily.
Chart 20: Frequency of Reading Indian Newspaper & Magazines
At least once a day At least once a week
Less than a week/Never
100%
81%
80%
69%
66%
60%
60%
40%
22%
18% 17%16% 17%
14%
20% 13%
6%
0%
West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Base: 1,631
34

NRI Online 2006
Usage of internet medium
Compared to a significantly higher 2 out of 3 online NRI (69%) relying on
the conventional 'offline' mediums to stay in touch with India on a daily
basis, only 1 in 2 online NRI (52%) surfs the net on a daily basis to check
Indian content.
Between the two online NRI groups, the gulf-based ones surf the net as
regularly as the west-based ones to check Indian content (56% versus
54% respectively), though they use the offline mediums significantly
more than the west-based ones to watch or read about India.
Chart 21: Frequency of Surfing Indian Content on Internet
At least once a day At least once a week Less than a week/Never
60%
56%
54% 52%
50%
45%
40%
27%28%
26%
30% 26%
25%
23%
22%
18%
20%
10%
0%
West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Base: 1,631
35

NRI Online 2006
Information sought about India
They have a keen eye on India's progress and stability. By and large
online NRI are more interested in content about ‘economic progress” in
India, followed thereafter about the general happenings in India,
including political happenings.
Interestingly, this is in quite a variance to what generally online Indians
in India are interested in content about India. Compared to the online
NRI, the online Indians show far greater interest in entertainment
content (sports, cinema, lifestyle, etc.) And far less in the economic
progress and political developments in the country.
Table 7: Happenings in India NRI Want to Stay Updated On
Interest Areas West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Economic Progress 58% 63% 53% 58%
General Happenings 57% 57% 44% 53%
Sports 47% 51% 48% 49%
Politics 55% 51% 38% 48%
Cinema 54% 38% 42% 44%
Social Progress 44% 41% 33% 39%
Religion/Spirituality 44% 36% 37% 39%
Lifestyle Trends 30% 26% 32% 29%
Fashion 24% 15% 25% 21%
Social Progress 14% 14% 13% 13%
Others 7% 4% 9% 7%
Base: 1,629
36

NRI Online 2006
Entertainment Connectivity
Indian Movies
Only 1 in 3 online NRI (35%) watch Indian movies on a daily basis.
The gulf-based online NRI watch Indian movies relatively more
regularly, with 36% of them doing so everyday. In comparison, a lower
29% of the west-based NRI watch Indian movies everyday.
Chart 22: Frequency of Watching Indian Movies
At least once a day At least once a week
60%
Less than a week/Never
50%
42%
40%
40%
39%38%
40% 36%
35%
31%
30% 29% 26%
24%
22%
20%
10%
0%
West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Base: 1,631
37

NRI Online 2006
Indian sports
Again only 1 in 3 online NRI (36%) watch Indian sports on a daily basis.
The gulf-based online NRI follow the Indian sports content significantly
more regularly, with 47% of them doing so everyday. In comparison,
only 22% of the west-based NRI check Indian sports content everyday.
Chart 23: Frequency of Watching Indian Sports
At least once a day At least once a week
Less than a week/Never
70%
60%
51%
50%
47%
40%
40% 34%
36%
31% 30%30% 29%
27%
30%
22%
22%
20%
10%
0%
West-Based Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
NRI
Base: 1,631
38

NRI Online 2006
Indian music
However, a significantly higher 3 out of 4 online NRI (75%) listens to
Indian music everyday.
The gulf-based online NRI listen to Indian music also noticeably more
regularly. While 77% of them listen to Indian music on a daily basis, a
relatively lower 70% of the west-based NRI listen to Indian music
everyday.
Chart 24: Frequency of Listening to Indian Music
At least once a day At least once a week
Less than a week/Never
100%
76%
80% 77% 75%
70%
60%
40%
18% 13% 15%
14% 13% 11%
20% 11%
9%
0%
West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Base: 1,631
39

NRI Online 2006
Indian fashion
The proportion of online NRI who check Indian fashion on a daily basis
are the least at only 17%.
The gulf-based online NRI also follow the Indian fashion trends
marginally more regularly than the west-based online NRI. While 16% of
gulf-based online NRI follow Indian fashion trend on a daily basis, only a
marginally lower 13% of west-based ones also do so.
Chart 25: Frequency of Checking Out Fashion Trends in India
At least once a day At least once a week
Less than a week/Never
80%
70% 65%
62% 60%
54%
60%
50%
40%
30% 24% 23%
22% 23% 23%
17%
20%
16%
13%
10%
0%
West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Base: 1,631
40

NRI Online 2006
Financial connectivity
Current ownerships of assets in India
Almost 2 out of 3 online NRI already have bank accounts and houses
back in India (almost 70% have each). One in 2 (51%) also owns some
land. Only 1 in 5 (21%) has invested money in shares in India.
Among the two groups of online NRI, the gulf-based ones not only show
relatively higher current ownership of both physical and financial assets
in India.
Table 8: Current Asset Ownerships in India
Assets West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Bank Accounts 70% 75% 66% 70%
House 68% 71% 69% 69%
Land 47% 53% 52% 51%
Deposit 38% 40% 36% 38%
Shares 22% 24% 18% 21%
Others 5% 5% 3% 4%
Base: 1,555
41

NRI Online 2006
Future plans for making financial investments in India
Despite fairly high current ownership of assets in India, a significant
proportion of online NRI would like to invest further in India, especially
in physical assets. Almost half the online NRI would like to invest in a
house or land in India in the near future. In comparison only around 1 in
4 online NRI (between 26% to 30%) would like to invest in financial
assets.
The gulf-based online NRI show relatively higher propensity to make
further investments in shares and deposits in India as compared to the
west-based ones. The west-based ones show a relatively higher
propensity for opening bank accounts in India.
Table 9: Plans for Future Financial Investments in India
Assets West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
House 49% 48% 49% 49%
Land 46% 48% 43% 46%
Shares 28% 37% 25% 30%
Deposit 29% 32% 27% 29%
Bank Accounts 28% 21% 28% 26%
Others 4% 5% 3% 4%
Base: 1,531
42

NRI Online 2006
Remitting money to India
Almost 2 out of 3 online NRI remitting money to India at least once a
month.
Significantly more gulf-based online NRI remit money to India with
higher frequency than the west-based ones. Nine out of 10 online NRI
based in the gulf (87%) remit money to India at least once a month. In
comparison, only 1 in 2 west-based NRI (47%) remits money to India at
least once a month.
Chart 26: Frequency of Remitting Money to India
At least once a month Once in 3 months
Once in less than 3 months
100%
87%
80%
66%
65%
60%
47%
32%
40%
22%
21% 20%
14%
13%
20% 8% 5%
0%
West-Based Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
NRI
Base: 1,631
43

NRI Online 2006
Preferred mode of remitting money
When it comes to the mode of remitting money to India, contrary to the
popular perception, it is the gulf-based online NRI who trust the
banking modes of transferring funds to India relatively more (both
online and offline banking modes).
While only 2 out of 3 west-based online NRI (65%) prefer to remit
money through online or offline bank based transfers or transactions, a
significantly higher 80% gulf-based online NRI rely on such modes of
transfer.
This higher preference for banking modes by the gulf-based online NRI
may have something to do with the fact that they remit money to India
much more frequently.
Chart 27: Preferred Mode of Remitting Money to India
Online Transactions Offline Transactions Cash Transactions
50%
43%
37%
38% 36% 39%
40%
33% 32%
29%
27%
30% 25% 24%
19%
20%
10%
0%
West-Based Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
NRI
Base: 1,631
On the whole, all this data clearly suggests that the gulf-based online
NRI not only show higher physical, financial and communication
connectivity with India but also more informational and entertainment-
related connectivity as well. It is only in emotional connectivity that
the west-based online NRI are almost equally glued to India.
44

NRI Online 2006
West-based NRI are
more 'online'
Online connectivity
Regularity of internet usage
Almost 2 out of 3 online NRI (69%) log on to the net several times a day.
In fact, 9 out of 10 online NRI (92%) use the net on a daily basis.
Though fairly high proportions of both group of online NRI use the
Internet daily (97% and 94% respectively), a noticeably higher
proportion of west-based online NRI (80%) access the net several times
a day. Only 71% of gulf-based ones access it several times a day.
Chart 28: Frequency of Using Internet
Several times a day Once a day Once a week or less
100%
80%
80% 69%
71%
57%
60%
40%
28%
23%
23%
17%
20%
8%
3%
2% 2%
0%
West-Based Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
NRI
Base: 975
45

NRI Online 2006
Experience in internet usage
Eight out of 10 online NRI (80%) have experience of 2 or more years in
using the net.
With 87% of them using the net already for 2 years or more, the gulf-
based online NRI are marginally more experienced net users than the
west-based ones, only 84% of whom have that level of net usage
experience. This could be largely because the west-based online NRI
have a significantly higher proportion of students and non-working users
in their base, while gulf-based online NRI are mostly the working ones.
Chart 29: Years of Experience in Using Internet
Upto 2 Years More than 2 Years
100%
87%
84%
80%
80%
66%
60%
34%
40%
20%
16% 13%
20%
0%
West-Based Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
NRI
Base: 975
46

NRI Online 2006
Internet users per family
Over 40% of all NRI have more than 2 members in the household using
the Internet. This means that on an average, there are 2.5 Internet
users per NRI household. This is significantly higher than the average
Internet users per household of 1.7 among the online Indians living in
India.
Only 1 out of 3 gulf-based online NRI (33%) come from a household that
has more than 2 members in the household using the net. In comparison
45% of west-based online NRI come from such households.
As a result of this, west-based NRI shows noticeably higher net users
per household at an average of 2.6. In comparison, the gulf-based
online NRI have only 2.2 users per household.
Chart 30: Number of Family Member Using the Internet
Upto 2 Members More than 2 Members
100%
80%
67%
59%
60% 55% 52%
45% 48% 41%
40%
33%
20%
0%
West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Average: 2.6 2.2 2.7 2.5
Base: 975
47

NRI Online 2006
Gulf NRI access
Internet more from
office, west ones
more from homes
Place of access
Almost 2 out of 3 online NRI (67%) use the net from home, with an
almost equal proportion also using it from offices. At 90%, the west-
based online NRI also access the net significantly more from homes. In
comparison, only 58% of the gulf-based online NRI access the net from
homes. The story is almost the reverse when it comes to net usage from
office. While the gulf-based ones access the net significantly more from
offices at 82%, only 57% of the west-based ones access it from the
office.
Further, whether based in the gulf or in the west, online NRI use the
net mainly from home or office. Very few of them access the net from
cyber cafes. Only 4% of west-based online NRI and 14% of gulf-based
ones access the net from cyber cafes. On the whole, though both the
groups access the net from distinct places, the fact remains that both
the groups access the net equally regularly.
Chart 31: Place of Accessing Internet
Office Home Cyber-Café
100%
90%
82%
80%
69% 67%
60%
60% 57% 59%
58%
40%
19%
14% 12%
20%
4%
0%
West-Based Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
NRI
Base: 975
48

NRI Online 2006
Type on connection at home
The reason why gulf-based online NRI access the net more from office
and less from homes is clear from the fact that not only 1 in 4 of them
does not have an internet connection at home, but also another 2 out
of 4 have only a regular dial up connection. So effectively, only 1 in 4
gulf-based online NRI has a broadband connection at home.
In sharp contrast to this, 3 out of 4 west-based online NRI (77%) using
the net from home have broadband access from home. This may be
facilitating higher home-based Internet usage among them.
On the whole, only 1 in 2 online NRI (48%) who use the Internet from
home has a broadband connection at home. Interestingly, this is
marginally lower than the proportion of online Indians using the
Internet from home with broadband access (52%).
Chart 32: Type of Internet Connection at Home
No Internet at Home Regular dial up connection
Broadband Connection
77%
80%
60%
48%
42%
47%
40%
26% 30%
25% 25%28%
18%
20%
11%
6%
0%
West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Base: 975
49

NRI Online 2006
Duration of net usage from home
Almost 3 out of 4 online NRI (76%) are light to medium users of the
Internet from homes. Only 1 in 4 of them uses the net for more than 2
hours a day.
West-based NRI are the relatively heavier users of the net. A
significantly higher 35% of them use the net on an average for more
than 2 hours a day from home. In comparison, only 14% of the gulf-
based ones use the net for more than 2 hours a day from home.
Chart 33: Time Spent on Internet at Home
Upto 2 Hours More than 2 Hours
100%
86%
79%
76%
80%
65%
60%
35%
40%
24%
21%
14%
20%
0%
West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Base: 838
50

NRI Online 2006
Duration of net usage from office
Almost 2 out of 3 online NRI (64%) are also light to medium users of the
Internet from offices. However, with 1 in 3 of them using the net for
more than 2 hours a day from office, online NRI are relatively heavier
users of the net from office than from homes.
Gulf-based online NRI are almost as heavy users of the net from office
as the west-based ones (37% to 39% of both groups' NRI use the net for
more than 2 hours a day on an average from the office).
Chart 34: Time Spent on Internet at Office
Upto 2 Hours More than 2 Hours
80%
69%
64%
63% 61%
60%
39%
37% 36%
40%
31%
20%
0%
West-Based Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
NRI
Base: 781
51

NRI Online 2006
Both surf for Indian
content almost
equally
Duration of surfing Indian content from home
When it comes to the surfing Indian content on the net from home, only
7% of the west-based online NRI do so for more than 2 hours a day,
while 3% of the gulf-based ones surf it for those durations.
In other words, almost 20% each of the west-based and gulf-based
online NRI (or 1 in 5 of them) who use the Internet to check Indian
content from home do so for more than 2 hours a day on an average.
Chart 35: Time Spent on Internet at Home to Check Indian Content
Upto 2 Hours More than 2 Hours
94%
98%
100% 93% 90%
80%
60%
40%
20% 10%
7% 6%
3%
0%
West-Based Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
NRI
Base: 830
52

NRI Online 2006
Duration of surfing Indian content from office
The story is no different for usage of Indian content from the offices as
well. While only 4% of the west-based online NRI who access the net
from office check Indian content online for more than 2 hours a day
from there, a marginally higher 8% of the gulf-based ones use it for
those durations from office.
In other words, while only 10% of the west-based online NRI who use
the Internet to check Indian content from office do so for more than 2
hours a day, a noticeably higher 20% of the gulf-based online NRI who
use the Internet to check Indian content from office do so for more
than 2 hours a day.
Chart 36: Time Spent on Internet at Office to Check Indian Content
Upto 2 Hours More than 2 Hours
97% 93%
100% 92%
92%
80%
60%
40%
20%
8%
8% 7%
4%
0%
West-Based Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
NRI
Base: 720
53

NRI Online 2006
Politics and economy
are the most surfed
Indian content
Indian content surfed online
Irrespective of whether they are based in gulf or in the more developed
parts of the world, all online NRI check the political and economic
development of the country much more than anything else on the net.
Thereafter, Indian sports content is checked relatively more by the
gulf-based ones on the net, while Indian cinema and music content is
checked relatively more by the west-based ones. Gulf-based online NRI
also check health and fitness related Indian content also relatively
more on the net, while west-based ones check religious and spirituality
and cultural heritage content relatively more.
Table 10: Indian Content Sought Online More
Contents West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Politics 72% 71% 65% 70%
Business / Economy 60% 63% 63% 62%
Sports 51% 62% 60% 58%
Music & Cinema 57% 45% 53% 52%
Science / Technology 38% 38% 41% 39%
Stocks / Shares / Interest Rates 33% 38% 32% 35%
Traveling / Tourism 30% 34% 32% 32%
Relationship / Friendship 27% 30% 35% 31%
Culture / Heritage 33% 24% 36% 31%
Spirituality / Religion 33% 27% 28% 29%
Health / Fitness 20% 33% 29% 27%
Picture Gallery / Video Gallery 25% 24% 27% 25%
Astrology 26% 24% 24% 25%
Food and Recipes 31% 21% 22% 25%
Cartoon / Jokes 23% 19% 28% 23%
Personality / Celebrity Interviews 22% 23% 23% 23%
Glamour / Fashion / Lifestyle 19% 21% 28% 22%
Community Building 16% 10% 17% 14%
Charity / Donations 10% 9% 12% 10%
Base: 975
54

NRI Online 2006
Gulf ones buy from
Indian websites
relatively more
Online buying
Almost 6 out of 10 online NRI (59%) buy from the Internet.
While only 1 in 2 gulf-based online NRI (50%) has ever bought online, 3
out of 4 west-based online NRI (73%) have bought online.
West-based ones are the more regular online shoppers as well. Against
only 24% of the gulf-based online NRI shopping online at least once a
month, an almost double that proportion of west-based online NRI (42%)
shop online that frequently.
Chart 37: Frequency of Buying Online
At least once a month Once in Less than a month
Never shopped online
60%
50%
50% 45%
42% 41%
40%
31%
31%
29% 28%
27% 26%
30% 26%
24%
20%
10%
0%
West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Base: 975
55

NRI Online 2006
Online buying for Indian products or services
Almost 4 out of 10 online NRI (44%) buy from an Indian website. As 59%
of all online NRI buy online, clearly there are about 15% online NRI who
buy online but do not buy from an Indian website. This means that 3
out of 4 online NRI (75%) who buy online also buys from an Indian
website.
While only 1 in 2 west-based online NRI (49%) has ever shopped from an
Indian website, 40% of the gulf-based ones have also shopped from
Indian websites.
So proportionately more gulf-based online NRI who buy online buy from
the Indian websites. That is, 82% of gulf-based NRI who buy online also
buy from an Indian websites, while only 70% of west-based NRI who buy
online also buys from an Indian website.
However in terms of the frequency of buying from Indian websites, less
than 2 out of 10 online NRI from each of the groups are really the
regular online NRI buyers from these Indian websites. West-based ones
buy marginally more regularly from Indian websites, with 18% of them
buying at least once a month from these websites.
Chart 38: Frequency of Buying Online on Indian Websites
At least once a month Once in Less than a month
Never shopped online
80%
60%
60% 56%
60%
49%
40% 33%
28% 28%
22%
19%
16%
18%
20%
13%
0%
West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Base: 975
56

NRI Online 2006
Average spends on Indian websites
Online NRI from both the groups show almost an equal proportion of
heavy online spenders buying from the Indian websites. Only 5% from
each of the groups spend on an average more than US$ 500 a month
with these websites.
However, a noticeably higher 45% of west-based online NRI are light to
medium spenders on these websites (as against only 35% of the gulf-
based ones).
Chart 39: Average Monthly Spends When Buying from Indian Websites
Never Shop Online Upto $500 More than $500
70%
65%
58%
60%
60%
50%
45%
50%
36%
35%
40%
27%
30%
20%
8% 6%
5%
10%
5%
0%
West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Base: 975
57

NRI Online 2006
Popular items bought from Indian websites
Air tickets are the most bought items online from the Indian websites
for both groups of online NRI. Almost half the online shopping NRI from
both the groups who shop from Indian websites buy air tickets online.
The other popularly bought online products from the Indian websites
are CD and DVDs, books and magazines, gifts and travel and tour
packages.
Between the two groups, the products that the west-based online NRI
buy relatively more from Indian websites are CD and dvds, gifts for
relatives in India, Indian spices and food, jewelry and handicraft items.
On the other hand, the items that the gulf-based online NRI buy
relatively more from these websites are only books and magazines.
Table 11: Products Or Services Bought from Indian Websites
Products West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Air ticket 44% 47% 42% 45%
CDs & DVDs 36% 23% 36% 31%
Books & Magazines 26% 34% 31% 31%
Gifts for relatives in India 34% 22% 19% 25%
Travel / Tour Packages 21% 22% 19% 20%
Clothes / Shoes / Fashion accessories 18% 14% 16% 16%
Indian Spices / Food Items 17% 6% 16% 13%
Jewellery 12% 8% 14% 11%
Toys / Games 8% 9% 14% 10%
Indian Festival Gifts for Self 11% 8% 11% 10%
Ayurvedic Products / Medicine 11% 8% 10% 10%
Herbal Beauty products 7% 7% 14% 9%
Perfumes 7% 5% 12% 8%
Handicraft items 10% 4% 9% 8%
Furniture / Fixtures 5% 2% 4% 4%
Base: 939
58

NRI Online 2006
Website Preferences
for Indian Content
Most visited Indian website
At the overall level, online NRI from both the groups visit the website
of Rediff and Times of India the most for checking content about India.
Gulf-based ones visit Yahoo significantly more than the west-based
ones.
Table 12: Top 10 Most Preferred Indian Website Overall
Websites West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Rediff 13% 12% 5% 11%
Timesofindia 11% 10% 10% 10%
Yahoo 4% 10% 12% 9%
Google 7% 4% 12% 7%
Indiatimes 5% 7% 7% 6%
Kerala 2% 4% 10% 5%
Deepika 3% 6% 5% 5%
NDTV 3% 7% 3% 5%
Sify 5% 4% 4% 4%
Samachar 8% 2% 3% 4%
Base: 860
59

NRI Online 2006
Info search on India
Google is the clear favorite among both the groups of online NRI when
it comes to searching information about India in general.
Table 13: Top 10 Most Preferred Indian Website for Searching Info on
India
Websites West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Google 25% 27% 27% 26%
Yahoo 7% 9% 13% 9%
Rediff 8% 7% 5% 7%
Timesofindia 8% 8% 4% 7%
Indiainfo 4% 5% 4% 5%
India 4% 4% 4% 4%
Indiatimes 3% 4% 4% 4%
Malayammanorama 2% 5% 3% 4%
Kerala 0.9% 4% 3% 3%
Hinduonnet 3% 2% 3% 2%
Base: 777
60

NRI Online 2006
News on India
The website of Times of India clearly leads among both the groups of
online NRI when it comes to checking news and events happening in
India.
Samachar.com is relatively more popular among the west-based online
NRI, while Deepika and Yahoo is relatively more popular among the
gulf-based ones.
Table 14: Top 10 Most Preferred Indian Website for Checking News on
India
Websites West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Timesofindia 12% 15% 12% 13%
Rediff 7% 8% 4% 7%
Yahoo 4% 7% 10% 6%
Thehindu 7% 3% 8% 6%
Deepika 3% 8% 7% 6%
NDTV 4% 7% 6% 6%
Google 6% 3% 7% 5%
Indiatimes 4% 5% 3% 4%
Sify 3% 2% 5% 3%
Samachar 7% 2% 0.9% 3%
Base: 761
61

NRI Online 2006
Job search in India
Naukri is the clear leader for job search in India for both the groups of
online NRI.
Monster is relatively more popular among the west-based online NRI
than it is with the gulf-based ones, while Timesjobs is relatively more
popular among the gulf-based ones.
Table 15: Top 10 Most Preferred Indian Website for Searching Jobs in
India
Websites West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Naukri 37% 39% 24% 34%
Monster 19% 9% 10% 12%
Yahoo 4% 6% 9% 6%
Google 5% 5% 9% 6%
Timesjobs 2% 7% 5% 5%
Jobs 4% 6% 3% 4%
Jobsindia 0.5% 2% 6% 3%
Rediff 2% 2% 2% 2%
Timesofindia 3% 2% 0.9% 2%
Jobsahead 1% 2% 2% 2%
Base: 761
62

NRI Online 2006
Online friendship in India
Yahoo is the clear leader among all groups of online NRI for seeking
online friendships back home.
Table 16: Top 10 Most Preferred Indian Website for Making Friendships
in India
Websites West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Yahoo 33% 38% 30% 34%
Google 8% 6% 7% 7%
MSN 6% 7% 6% 7%
Rediff 6% 9% 3% 6%
Fropper 2% 1% 6% 3%
Friendfinder 2% 4% 3% 3%
Friends 1% 4% 4% 3%
India 3% 1% 5% 3%
Indiatimes 2% 4% 3% 3%
Kerala 0.0% 4% 4% 3%
Base: 620
63

NRI Online 2006
Matrimony
Shaadi is the most preferred one by all online NRI when it comes to
matrimonial search.
Bharatmatrimony is relatively less popular among the west-based online
NRI than it is among the gulf-based ones. This is largely because of the
higher south Indian population base in the gulf.
Table 17: Top 10 Most Preferred Indian Website for Matrimonial Search
in India
Websites West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Shaadi 49% 56% 35% 48%
Bharatmatrimony 17% 25% 22% 22%
Matrimony 4% 3% 11% 6%
Yahoo 3% 3% 9% 5%
Jeevansathi 2% 4% 5% 3%
Indianmatrimony 4% 2% 5% 3%
Google 2% 0.8% 4% 2%
Sify 2% 0.4% 2% 1%
Rediff 2% 1% 0.0% 1%
MSN 0.5% 0.4% 3% 1%
Base: 758
64

NRI Online 2006
Travel ticket bookings to India
While the website of Air India is the overwhelming favorite with the
online NRI based in the gulf to book tickets for India, for the ones based
in the west it is Makemytrip that leads the pack.
Table 18: Top 10 Most Preferred Indian Website for Booking Travel
Tickets to India
Websites West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Airindia 9% 38% 16% 23%
Yahoo 4% 8% 13% 8%
Makemytrip 14% 5% 4% 7%
Indianairlines 4% 8% 7% 6%
Indiatimes 4% 5% 7% 5%
Google 6% 2% 9% 5%
Travelguru 5% 3% 4% 4%
Emirates 0.5% 2% 9% 4%
Rediff 4% 5% 0.0% 3%
Jetairways 3% 2% 2% 2%
Base: 687
65

NRI Online 2006
Online shopping from India
Ebay just manages to go past Indiatimes to emerge as the most
preferred website for shopping for Indian products and services.
While Ebay is relatively more popular among the west-based online NRI,
among the gulf-based ones it is Indiatimes.
Table 19: Top 10 Most Preferred Indian Website for Shopping of Indian
Products and Services
Websites West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Ebay 20% 15% 14% 16%
Indiatimes 15% 17% 12% 15%
Rediff 13% 14% 10% 13%
Yahoo 5% 12% 13% 10%
Sify 5% 5% 6% 5%
Google 3% 5% 8% 5%
MSN 2% 4% 5% 4%
Onlineshopping 4% 2% 4% 3%
Shopping 2% 3% 3% 3%
Amazon 4% 1% 0.0% 2%
Base: 594
66

NRI Online 2006
Real estate Info in India
It is a combination of generic portals and some specialized real estate
websites that compete closely for online NRI's attention to check for
real estate information from India.
There is a clear indication here that no real estate specific websites has
really been able to make a mark among the online NRI in any significant
way.
Table 20: Top 10 Most Preferred Indian Website for Checking Real
Estate Info in India
Websites West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Google 13% 5% 13% 10%
Yahoo 6% 7% 15% 9%
Realestate 8% 5% 7% 7%
Rediff 7% 7% 3% 6%
Keralarealestate 2% 7% 8% 6%
Timesofindia 4% 7% 7% 6%
Manoramaonline 2% 8% 6% 6%
Sulekha 8% 4% 3% 5%
Indiarealestate 2% 6% 4% 4%
Indiatimes 2% 4% 3% 3%
Base: 619
67

NRI Online 2006
Indian cinema content
Bollywood.com leads marginally over the popular generic portals when
it comes to checking of Indian cinema content by the online NRI.
Table 21: Top 10 Most Preferred Indian Website for Searching Indian
Cinema Content
Websites West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Bollywood 10% 8% 9% 9%
Google 6% 5% 11% 7%
Yahoo 4% 7% 9% 7%
Rediff 5% 9% 4% 6%
Timesofindia 6% 6% 5% 6%
Malayammanorma 2% 7% 7% 5%
Indiatimes 3% 7% 5% 5%
Sify 4% 4% 4% 4%
Cinema 5% 3% 4% 4%
Indiafm 5% 5% 1% 4%
Base: 626
68

NRI Online 2006
Indian sports content
Cricinfo is a noticeable leader in the category of Indian sports content.
Table 22: Top 10 Most Preferred Indian Website for Searching Indian
Sports Content
Websites West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Cricinfo 16% 15% 11% 14%
Yahoo 6% 8% 10% 8%
Rediff 8% 8% 7% 8%
Timesofindia 6% 8% 7% 7%
Sports 4% 5% 5% 5%
Google 6% 3% 6% 5%
NDTV 3% 6% 6% 5%
Indiatimes 2% 5% 4% 4%
Sify 2% 5% 4% 4%
Manoramaonline 0.5% 4% 7% 4%
Base: 730
69

NRI Online 2006
Indian music
Raaga leads the pack of online Indian music websites. However, Raaga
is far more popular among the online NRI from the west than it is with
the gulf-based online NRI. Among the gulf-based ones, Yahoo and
Indiatimes are also almost equally popular for downloading Indian
music.
Table 23: Top 10 Most Preferred Indian Website for Downloading Indian
Music
Websites West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Raaga 28% 14% 10% 17%
Musicindiaonline 16% 8% 8% 11%
Yahoo 2% 12% 16% 10%
Indiatimes 6% 10% 12% 9%
Google 5% 5% 7% 5%
Indiatimes 4% 4% 6% 5%
Manoramaonline 1% 6% 6% 4%
Rediff 4% 5% 2% 4%
Smashit 6% 2% 3% 4%
Hindimusic 3% 4% 3% 3%
Base: 630
70

NRI Online 2006
Indian fashion
Indiafashion is the noticeable leader in the Indian fashion category.
Table 24: Top 10 Most Preferred Indian Website for Checking Fashion
Trends in India
Websites West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Indiafashion 15% 19% 16% 17%
Yahoo 6% 8% 14% 9%
Rediff 12% 11% 3% 9%
Google 11% 7% 9% 9%
Timesofindia 8% 7% 7% 7%
Indiatimes 3% 8% 9% 7%
Fashion 5% 8% 3% 6%
Femina 3% 4% 4% 4%
Manoramaonline 0.6% 5% 4% 4%
Sify 4% 4% 1% 3%
Base: 584
71

NRI Online 2006
Online games
For downloading games Yahoo is the overwhelming favorite among all
the online NRI.
Table 25: Top 10 Most Preferred Website for Downloading Games
Websites West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Yahoo 26% 36% 34% 32%
Indiatimes 8% 11% 14% 11%
Games 9% 9% 6% 8%
Google 10% 5% 10% 8%
MSN 3% 4% 9% 5%
Rediff 6% 5% 0.0% 4%
Miniclip 3% 3% 3% 3%
Sify 7% 1% 1% 3%
Indiagames 5% 2% 1% 3%
Download 3% 3% 1% 2%
Base: 546
72

NRI Online 2006
Emailing
Yahoo again leads the pack by a big margin when it comes to the
preference of online NRI for using an email id. Hotmail and Gmail
follow here as distant second and third.
Table 26: Most Preferred Website for Emailing
Websites West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Yahoo 44% 39% 49% 44%
Hotmail 17% 19% 15% 17%
Gmail 10% 11% 10% 11%
Rediff 8% 9% 7% 8%
Indiatimes 4% 5% 1% 4%
Sify 1% 2% 2% 2%
VSNL 0.4% 0.2% 0.7% 0.4%
Others 16% 15% 14% 15%
Base: 942
73

NRI Online 2006
Offline media
preferences for
Indian content
Indian TV channels
Asianet comes out as the most popular TV channel overall among the
online NRI primarily because of its very high popularity among the gulf-
based online NRI at 27%.
Zee TV is relatively more popular among the west-based online NRI at
19%. Star Plus and Sun TV are also fairly popular TV channels among
both the groups of online NRI to come clause third and fourth.
Table 27: Top 10 Most Preferred TV Channel from India
TV Channels West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Asianet 4% 27% 20% 18%
Zee TV 19% 16% 11% 15%
Star Plus 14% 16% 16% 15%
Sun 14% 9% 10% 11%
Sony 12% 5% 12% 9%
Sahara 4% 7% 7% 6%
NDTV 3% 5% 4% 4%
Doordarshan 3% 3% 6% 4%
Kairali 1% 5% 5% 3%
ETV 3% 2% 2% 2%
Base: 869
74

NRI Online 2006
Indian TV news channels
NDTV comes out as the most popular TV news channel overall among
the online NRI primarily because of its relatively higher popularity
among the gulf-based online NRI (18%).
Among the west-based online NRI, it is Zee news which is relatively
more popular at 19%, followed closely by Aaj Tak at 17%.
Table 28: Top 10 Most Preferred TV News Channel from India
News Channels West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
NDTV 15% 18% 19% 17%
Zee News 19% 10% 14% 14%
Asianet 4% 18% 15% 13%
Aajtak 17% 9% 7% 11%
Star News 7% 11% 12% 10%
DD News 3% 6% 4% 4%
Sahara 2% 6% 2% 4%
Sun News 4% 3% 2% 3%
Kairali 0.0% 5% 3% 3%
ETV 4% 0.9% 2% 2%
Base: 869
75

NRI Online 2006
Indian newspapers
Among the newspapers, Times of India is the clear leader with both the
groups of online NRI.
Expectedly, Malayalam Manorama is also fairly popular among the gulf-
based online NRI. After ToI, Hindu is also equally popular newspaper
among both the groups of online NRI.
Table 29: Top 10 Most Preferred Newspaper from India
Newspapers West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
Times of India 25% 33% 23% 28%
The Hindu 13% 13% 23% 16%
Malayala Manorama 5% 15% 8% 10%
Indian Express 9% 7% 8% 8%
Deepika 2% 8% 5% 5%
Dinamalar 3% 3% 3% 3%
Tribune 7% 0.4% 0.8% 3%
Deccan Chronical 5% 2% 0.8% 3%
Mathrubhumi 0.4% 2% 5% 2%
Siasat 3% 0.7% 4% 2%
Base: 866
76

NRI Online 2006
Indian magazines
India Today is the overwhelming favorite magazine among all the online
NRI.
While Vanitha and The Week are also fairly popular among the gulf-
based online NRI, surprisingly Stardust emerges as the second most
popular magazine among the west-based online NRI.
Table 30: Most Preferred Magazine from India
Magazines West-Based NRI Gulf-Based NRI Other NRI All NRI
India Today 30% 32% 32% 32%
The Week 6% 8% 11% 8%
Star Dust 8% 5% 7% 7%
Outlook 4% 6% 5% 5%
Vanita 1% 9% 2% 4%
Femina 5% 3% 4% 4%
Film Fare 3% 5% 2% 4%
Kumudam 2% 3% 4% 3%
Times 4% 1% 3% 3%
Sport Star 2% 2% 3% 2%
Base: 755
77

NRI Online 2006
Index
78

NRI Online 2006
Index: Charts
Chart 1: Region of Current or Permanent Residence ..............10
Chart 2: Visa Status .....................................................11
Chart 3: Gender Representation ......................................15
Chart 4: Distribution by Age Group ...................................16
Chart 5: Marital Status..................................................17
Chart 6: Size of the Family They Represent.........................18
Chart 7: Occupational Break Up.......................................20
Chart 8: Field of Functional/Occupational Background ...........21
Chart 9: Distribution by Monthly Income of the Household.......22
Chart 10: Most Expensive Vehicle Owned by the Household .....23
Chart 11: Motivation to Stay Connected with India ................24
Chart 12: Frequency of Visit to India for Personal Reasons.......26
Chart 13: Frequency of Visit to India for Professional Reasons ..27
Chart 14: Frequency of Calling India for Personal Reasons .......28
Chart 15: Frequency of Calling India for Professional Reasons...29
Chart 16: Send or Receive E-Mails From/To India for Personal
Reasons....................................................................30
Chart 17: Send Or Receive E-Mails From/To India for Professional
Reasons....................................................................31
Chart 18: Preferred Medium to Follow Happenings in India ......32
Chart 19: Frequency of Watching Indian TV Programs ............33
Chart 20: Frequency of Reading Indian Newspaper & Magazines 34
Chart 21: Frequency of Surfing Indian Content on Internet ......35
Chart 22: Frequency of Watching Indian Movies....................37
Chart 23: Frequency of Watching Indian Sports ....................38
Chart 24: Frequency of Listening to Indian Music ..................39
Chart 25: Frequency of Checking Out Fashion Trends in India ...40
Chart 26: Frequency of Remitting Money to India .................43
Chart 27: Preferred Mode of Remitting Money to India ...........44
Chart 28: Frequency of Using Internet ...............................45
Chart 29: Years of Experience in Using Internet ...................46
Chart 30: Number of Family Member Using the Internet..........47
Chart 31: Place of Accessing Internet ................................48
Chart 32: Type of Internet Connection at Home ...................49
Chart 33: Time Spent on Internet at Home .........................50
Chart 34: Time Spent on Internet at Office .........................51
Chart 35: Time Spent on Internet at Home to Check Indian
Content ...................................................................52
Chart 36: Time Spent on Internet at Office to Check Indian
Content ...................................................................53
Chart 37: Frequency of Buying Online ...............................55
Chart 38: Frequency of Buying Online on Indian Websites........56
Chart 39: Average Monthly Spends When Buying from Indian
Websites ..................................................................57
79

NRI Online 2006
Index: Tables
Table 1: Sample Distribution ........................................... 4
Table 2: Regional Distribution by Place of Origin in India ........12
Table 3: Top 10 Cities by Place of Origin............................13
Table 4: Top 10 Native Languages ....................................14
Table 5: Highest Level of Education..................................19
Table 6: Top Ten Indian Role Models of Online NRI................25
Table 7: Happenings in India NRI Want to Stay Updated On......36
Table 8: Current Asset Ownerships in India .........................41
Table 9: Plans for Future Financial Investments in India .........42
Table 10: Indian Content Sought Online More ......................54
Table 11: Products Or Services Bought from Indian Websites....58
Table 12: Top 10 Most Preferred Indian Website Overall .........59
Table 13: Top 10 Most Preferred Indian Website for Searching
Info on India ..............................................................60
Table 14: Top 10 Most Preferred Indian Website for Checking
News on India ............................................................61
Table 15: Top 10 Most Preferred Indian Website for Searching
Jobs in India ..............................................................62
Table 16: Top 10 Most Preferred Indian Website for Making
Friendships in India......................................................63
Table 17: Top 10 Most Preferred Indian Website for Matrimonial
Search in India ...........................................................64
Table 18: Top 10 Most Preferred Indian Website for Booking
Travel Tickets to India..................................................65
Table 19: Top 10 Most Preferred Indian Website for Online
Shopping of Indian Products and Services ...........................66
Table 20: Top 10 Most Preferred Indian Website for Checking
Real Estate Info in India ................................................67
Table 21: Top 10 Most Preferred Indian Website for Searching
Indian Cinema Content .................................................68
Table 22: Top 10 Most Preferred Indian Website for Searching
Indian Sports Content ...................................................69
Table 23: Top 10 Most Preferred Indian Website for Downloading
Indian Music ..............................................................70
Table 24: Top 10 Most Preferred Indian Website for Checking
Fashion Trends in India .................................................71
Table 25: Top 10 Most Preferred Website for Downloading Games
.............................................................................72
Table 26: Most Preferred Website for Emailing ....................73
Table 27: Top 10 Most Preferred TV Channel from India .........74
Table 28: Top 10 Most Preferred TV News Channel from India ..75
Table 29: Top 10 Most Preferred Newspaper from India ..........76
Table 30: Most Preferred Magazine from India .....................77
80

NRI Online 2006
Index: Detailed
Table of Content
NRI Online 2006 ........................................................... 1
Key Information Areas Covered .................................... 2
Methodology ............................................................... 3
Executive Summary ...................................................... 5
‘Family connection’ is largely what keeps online NRI hooked
to India ............................................................ 5
Gulf-based online NRI are more connected with India......... 5
West-based online NRI connect more online .................... 5
Both groups keep a keen eye on India’s economic progress .. 6
Online NRI show high level of keenness to invest in India..... 6
Gulf ones prefer to remit money more through the banking
channels........................................................... 6
West-based NRI are generally the heavier users of the net,
but not the heavier users of Indian content on the net ... 7
For entertainment, online NRI connect with Indian music the
most ............................................................... 7
Online NRI are largely mature males ............................. 7
Half the online NRI are South Indians in origin.................. 7
Only 1 in 5 west-based online NRI is a ‘Techie’................. 8
An equal proportion of gulf-based online NRI are
professionally qualified......................................... 8
But gulf-based online NRI have significantly lower incomes .. 8
Non Residential Status ..................................................10
Region of residence.................................................10
Visa status............................................................11
Half the online NRI are South Indians in origin .....................12
Indian regions they come from ...................................12
City of origin in India ...............................................13
Native language .....................................................14
Online NRI are largely mature males .................................15
Gender ................................................................15
Age distribution .....................................................16
Marital status ........................................................17
Family size ...........................................................18
Only 1 in 5 west-based online NRI is a ‘techie’.....................19
Educational Qualification ..........................................19
Occupation ...........................................................20
Functional background .............................................21
81

NRI Online 2006
West-based online NRI are economically better off ...............22
Household Incomes .................................................22
Vehicle ownerships .................................................23
Gulf-based online NRI are more connected with India ............24
Emotional Connectivity ............................................24
Motivation for Staying Connected with India 24
Indian Role Models 25
Physical connectivity ...............................................26
Travel to India for Personal Reasons 26
Travel to India for professional reasons 27
Communication connectivity ......................................28
Phone Calls for Personal Reason 28
Phone calls for professional reason 29
Emailing for personal reason 30
Emailing for professional reason 31
Informational connectivity ........................................32
Medium used for staying updated on India 32
Usage of electronic medium 33
Usage of internet medium 35
Information sought about India ...................................36
Entertainment Connectivity .......................................37
Indian Movies 37
Indian sports 38
Indian music 39
Indian fashion 40
Financial connectivity ..............................................41
Current ownerships of assets in India 41
Future plans for making financial investments in India 42
Remitting money to India 43
Preferred mode of remitting money 44
West-based NRI are more 'online' .....................................45
Online connectivity .................................................45
Regularity of internet usage 45
Experience in internet usage 46
Internet users per family 47
Gulf NRI access Internet more from office, west ones more from
homes .....................................................................48
Place of access 48
Type on connection at home 49
Duration of net usage from home 50
Duration of net usage from office 51
Both surf for Indian content almost equally ........................52
Duration of surfing Indian content from home 52
82

NRI Online 2006
Duration of surfing Indian content from office 53
Politics and economy are the most surfed Indian content........54
Indian content surfed online 54
Gulf ones buy from Indian websites relatively more...............55
Online buying 55
Online buying for Indian products or services 56
Average spends on Indian websites 57
Popular items bought from Indian websites 58
Website Preferences for Indian Content.............................59
Most visited Indian website........................................59
Info search on India.................................................60
News on India ........................................................61
Job search in India ..................................................62
Online friendship in India ..........................................63
Matrimony ............................................................64
Travel ticket bookings to India ...................................65
Online shopping from India ........................................66
Real estate Info in India ...........................................67
Indian cinema content .............................................68
Indian sports content ...............................................69
Indian music .........................................................70
Indian fashion........................................................71
Online games ........................................................72
Emailing ..............................................................73
Offline media preferences for Indian content ......................74
Indian TV channels..................................................74
Indian TV news channels ...........................................75
Indian newspapers ..................................................76
Indian magazines....................................................77
Index.......................................................................78
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