According to a survey conducted by IFOP for the CNIL in January 2017, algorithms are present in the minds of the French, but in a rather confused way. While 83% of those surveyed have already heard of algorithms, more than half do not know precisely what they are (52%).
Their presence is considered massive in everyday life by 80% of respondents who consider that they are very or fairly present in everyday life.
Référence :
65% believe that this dynamic will increase in the coming years:
Regarding the opinion on algorithms, a small majority (53%) believes that they are rather error-prone against 47% who think they are reliable:
57% of respondents think that algorithms limit the range of choices offered. Among younger people, the trend is reversed, with 53% of those under 35 and 56% of those aged 18 to 24 believing that algorithms offer more choices.
Finally, it is from the point of view of citizen perception that the opinion is the clearest according to age. If 2/3 of the respondents (64%) consider that algorithms represent a threat because of the accumulation of personal data on choices, tastes and behaviors, the 18-24 year olds reverse this trend since 51% believe that algorithms represent an opportunity.
The survey was conducted among a sample of 1001 people, representative of the French population aged 18 and over. The interviews took place by self-administered online questionnaire(CAWI-ComputerAssistedWeb Interviewing) from January 9 to 11, 2017.
