New Ipsos iris data shows that 13.9 million Australians, around 63 per cent of people aged 14 and over, used a home and property website or app, spending an average of 44 minutes a month researching both private and commercial property.
Users spent an average of 10.2 hours across the month on platforms in the category, equivalent to about 33 minutes a day, browsing both residential and commercial listings. The data suggests Australians are beginning to plan their next real estate moves after a challenging year for buyers and renters alike.
The audience skewed toward women, who were 10 per cent more likely to consume home and property content than men. The gender gap was even wider among those aged over 55, with women in that group 22 per cent more likely than their male counterparts to visit these sites and apps.
News engagement remains high amid major events
The Ipsos iris July snapshot also found that 21.16 million people, representing 95.6 per cent of online Australians aged 14+, used a news website or app during the month, a slight increase on June. However, time spent on news dipped year-on-year, with audiences averaging 4.9 hours compared to 5.2 hours in July 2024.
Key stories driving engagement included the guilty verdict in the Erin Patterson “mushroom murder” trial, the Melbourne childcare abuse scandal, and the final match of the 2025 NRL State of Origin. Globally, trending topics ranged from the so-called “CEO kiss cam” scandal to the deaths of public figures including Ozzy Osbourne and Diogo Jota.
Energy, health and events categories grow online reach
Several sectors saw month-on-month growth in July, with energy suppliers/utilities up 4.16 per cent, followed by events and attractions (+2.06%) and health (+1.8%). Year-on-year, automotive was the standout with a 5.3 per cent lift in audience, followed by utilities, entertainment and health.
The July data also revealed that 22.127 million Australians accessed the internet, spending an average of 4.8 hours online per day, a 4.3 per cent increase year-on-year. Social networking, search, technology, retail and entertainment remained the most visited categories, each attracting over 21 million users.
Endorsed by IAB Australia, Ipsos iris is the industry’s digital audience measurement currency. It tracks cross-device behaviour across smartphones, laptops, tablets and connected TVs, combining panel data and census measurement through publisher tagging. The methodology includes a sample of 8,000 devices and reflects a nationally representative cross-section of Australians aged 14+.