17/04/2003

The increase in the number of Greeks who use the Internet and the narrowing of the digital gap between Greece and the EU, as well as among population groups within Greece, were recorded in the annual National Survey on New Technology and the Information Society. The survey was conducted by the Greek Research & Technology Network, in collaboration with the V-Project Research Consulting, and was funded by the Operational Programme "Information Society" of the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

According to the survey's 2002 results, one out of five uses the Internet, recording a 10% increase compared to last year's figures. The potential for wider ownership of personal computers and home use of the Internet appears significant in all regions and population groups of the country. Increased use of new technologies is reported at home, in the workplace and at school, while the survey also reports an increase in the variety of applications used by Greeks. Specifically:

• One Greek out of three uses a personal computer, one out of five uses the Internet and seven out of 10 use a mobile telephone;
• The number of Internet users increased to 19.3% of the population in 2002, from 10.1% the previous year, while the percentage of Greeks who use both a PC and the ?nternet rose from 50% to 67% during 2001;
• One out of three households owns a PC and two out of five have an Internet connection;
• PC and Internet penetration is significantly higher for the 15-24 age group. Six out of ten young people in this group use a PC and five out of eleven use the Internet. It should be noted that the respective figures for students are eight out of ten and six out of eleven;
• According to statistics for younger age groups, two out of thirteen children between 5-9 years of age use PCs, five out of eleven children aged between 10-14 years old use PCs and four out of eleven use the Internet.

With regard to the level of education, the proportion of Internet users with higher education is twice as high as that of users with compulsory education. Despite this fact, the overall increase in Internet use is mainly due to the latter. Moreover, the proportion of Internet users is two out of ten for people with compulsory education, and four out of ten for those with a higher education.

The survey records a narrowing of the digital gap between PC and Internet users among employees in small businesses, as compared with large, as well as among residents of semi-urban or rural districts and urban districts. On the other hand, the digital gap between the sexes remains unchanged, with three out of twelve men using the Internet, while the figure for women is two out of fourteen.

The main reason for using a PC is pleasure/recreation/computer games, followed by work and e-mail. One out of two Greeks uses a PC every day, for an average of 14.2 hours per week. Three out of eleven Greek Internet users go online daily, for an overall weekly average of 6.3 hours.

Of those Greeks who do not use PCs, six out of ten state either the lack of need or of interest as the main reason for not using them, while three out of ten have never used a PC. The main deterrents do not seem to be cost or technophobia, but ignorance or lack of applications to attract the public at large.

Three out of 10 of those Greeks who use a PC but do not the Internet state the lack of a connection as the main reason, while five out of ten do not need or are not interested in having such a connection. Prospects for the future seem particularly encouraging. One out of twelve households, that do not yet own a PC, intend to acquire one within the next six months, and the respective figure regarding an Internet connection is one household out of ten.

The National Survey on New Technology and the Information Society was conducted for the second year running to represent the whole population of the country. The aim was to record the current situation regarding the use of computers, the Internet and mobile telephony, but also to monitor the 'digital gap' between different population groups within the country, as well as between Greece and other countries.

The survey sample comprised 2,464 households, with a total of 8,030 people (the 2,264 survey respondents gave details for the other members of their households on separate forms). The survey was conducted from 30 July to 27 September 2002, with a break from 5 to 25 August.

Source: Ministry of Economy and Finance