Watch, vacuum cleaner, scale, household robot… The objects that invade our daily lives are increasingly connected. This is what emerges from the 2022 edition of the Digital Barometer, published, among others, by Arcep and Arcom, the telecoms and audiovisual regulatory authorities.
The number of owners of one of these devices dedicated to home automation, cooking, health or security has increased by 7 points in two years. 40% of French people have at least one connected object and even 27% a connected speaker, whether controlled by Alexa from Amazon or OK Google.
However, the smartphone remains unbeatable. 87% of us have one (+3 points compared to 2020). Paradoxically, the mobile phone is used less for making calls (78%) than for sending messages (89%) or surfing the internet (92%).
The quality of service of the mobile networks is judged to be correct by 85% of the respondents. An overall satisfaction that hides territorial disparities. 16% of users in rural municipalities say they are dissatisfied with the quality of the mobile network when making voice calls, compared to 10% nationally. This, however, is almost 10 points lower than the last survey in 2019.
Fiber and cable overtake ADSL
As far as fixed internet connection at home is concerned, optical fiber and cable have overtaken ADSL. 56% of French people now have very high speed access. Here again, the place of residence has an impact. 72% of inhabitants in the Paris metropolitan area are connected to fiber or cable compared to 34% in rural municipalities. 92% of these fiber optic subscribers appreciate the quality of their connection compared to 85% for all networks combined. A level of satisfaction which, this time, hardly varies according to the size of the municipalities.
After an increase in the number of Internet users between 2019 and 2020, the proportion of people connecting to the Internet at least occasionally is stable in 2022 at 92%. Addicted, more than one in two French people (58%) say, on the other hand, that they cannot do without the internet for more than a day without missing it.
On the other hand, the barometer notes that the elderly (70 years and over) who, during the health crisis, used the internet to maintain contact with their loved ones have connected less since (63%, – 8 points between 2020 and 2022).
Teens rediscover the computer
The Covid has also generalized the use of computers. Its new uses gained during the pandemic for working, attending classes or having fun have obviously remained. 62% of French people use their computer daily, 15 points more than in 2019.
If the increase in daily computer use is driven by seniors – 76% among 60-69 year olds – the study observes a real breakthrough among adolescents. With the habits taken during the health crisis, the craze for online video games and Discord messaging, 59% say they use it every day (+ 18 points compared to 2019).
E-commerce, which experienced unprecedented growth in 2020 at the time of the health crisis, will continue in 2022. Eight out of ten people (77%) say they have made at least one online purchase during the year. That is one point more than two years ago.
Televisions, a major environmental issue
TV is also increasingly connected. 83% of French people equipped with a television and having a fixed connection at home receive television via their operator’s box on at least one set.
A choice motivated by the quality of reception (53%), the diversity of services offered (39%) and direct access to video on demand subscriptions (38%). On the other hand, listening to radio via the Internet remains a minority practice (35%) compared to traditional reception via the FM band or its digital version (DAB+).
This over-equipment is not without posing a problem in the fight against global warming by increasing our carbon footprint. The barometer reminds us that terminals – televisions, smartphones, computers, tablets…. – represent 65 to 90% of the environmental impact of digital technology.
For this 2022 edition, he focused on televisions with the highest carbon footprint due to the size of their screens. While extending the life of this type of equipment is a key issue, the margins for improvement remain high. Nearly half of respondents have owned their primary TV for less than five years and only 20% have owned it for more than ten years.
Digital inclusion and accessibility
The barometer also focuses on the digital divide in society. If two years after the start of the health crisis, 56% of French people believe they have better mastery of digital tools, this proportion drops to 43% among retirees and 38% among non-graduates, while it soars to 71% among executives and intellectual professions.
At the time of digital transformation, 48% (+13 points) of individuals experience at least one barrier to fully realizing the promises of digital. This can go through the absence or difficulty of access to the internet (9%) or equipment (11%) but also through the lack of mastery of the tools (25% against 18% in 2020).
The dematerialization of public services which has become widespread for two decades does not improve the situation. 54% (+14 points) of French people experience at least one form of difficulty preventing them from taking steps online.
This does not only concern the populations furthest from digital technology. Born with a smartphone in hand, digital natives are paradoxically struggling. 76% of 18-24 year olds say they are not always able to complete their formalities online (+13 points), compared to 53% of people aged 70 and over (+10 points), and 48% of 40-59 year olds (+17 points) ).
To overcome these difficulties, self-training and the circle of family or friends are favored to the detriment of company training or personalized support in a dedicated place.
Contrasting results for teleworking
The accessibility of digital devices is also part of this issue of digital inclusion, especially for people with disabilities. Brightness adjustment (83%) and screen zoom (80%) are the most used features, while audio description or color inversion are used by only nearly a third of respondents.
Finally, the barometer returns to the generalization of telework, also born of the health crisis. Here again, the results are mixed. 85% of practitioners believe that teleworking has a positive impact on their personal life, and 78% on their professional life.
Women have an even more positive perception of remote work. By eliminating travel times and offering the possibility of staying at home, it reduces the domestic and parental responsibilities that they still have to provide “disproportionately”.
On the other side of the coin, the spread of telework makes the boundaries between the private and professional spheres more porous. 60% of people in employment have already used, for professional reasons, digital equipment outside their usual working hours, an increase of 19 points compared to 2013, and 35% do so regularly (+ 11 points). A hyperconnection that exposes you to risks of stress, fatigue and mental overload over time.
