High levels of internet connectivity define daily life across the Caribbean Netherlands, according to new statistical figures released by Statistics Netherlands. Data for the islands of Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba show that the vast majority of residents use the internet on a regular basis, with household access reaching 97 percent on St. Eustatius and 92 percent on Saba.
Daily Digital Engagement Across the Islands
Virtually all residents across the three islands—amounting to 97 percent—access the internet from home or work daily or nearly every day. Communication activities rank as the most common online use. Ninety-four percent of residents report using services like WhatsApp, Skype, Messenger, or Microsoft Teams for online voice or video calls over a three-month period. An identical proportion of residents use applications such as WhatsApp, Signal, Snapchat, or TikTok to send text messages, while 86 percent utilize social media platforms including Instagram, TikTok, or X.
Statistics Netherlands notes that differences in these core digital activities among the populations of the three islands remain minimal or non-existent. However, disparities emerge in other online tasks. Online banking is used by approximately 80 percent of residents on Bonaire and St. Eustatius, compared to just over 60 percent on Saba. Saba also records a lower proportion of residents sending or receiving emails compared to the other two islands, while roughly two-thirds of residents across the territory search online for products or health-related information.
Skepticism and Online Information Verification
More than half of the residents across all three islands report encountering information online that they believe is untrue or view with suspicion. Two-thirds of residents on Bonaire and Saba encountered such information within a three-month period prior to the survey, while the figure stands at just over half for St. Eustatius.
Skepticism concentrates most heavily on social media content. Slightly more than half of residents on Bonaire and Saba report seeing inaccurate or questionable information on social media, compared to 40 percent of residents on St. Eustatius. Residents encounter questionable information less frequently on news websites and other internet domains.
To counter online misinformation, more than three-quarters of residents check whether the information they read or view is factual. Methods for verifying content include checking sources, consulting reliable online or offline references, and discussing the issue with others, with St. Eustatius residents showing a higher likelihood of performing these checks than Bonaire residents. Meanwhile, roughly 30 percent of residents check website security markers, such as inspecting whether an address begins with HTTPS or searching for security logos, with no measurable variance found among the islands on this security measure.
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