New technologies anchored in French daily life

According to this latest edition of the Digital Barometer, conducted by Arcep, Arcom, CGE and ANCT, digital equipment and uses are now part of people's daily lives.

Nine out of ten people are Internet users, and 82% of the population aged 12 and over living in mainland France connect to the Internet every day. The Internet has also become an integral part of French life: 64% of people aged 70 and over are now Internet users.

Home Internet connections via fiber optics are continuing the boom begun five years ago, with an 11-point increase in one year. By 2023, 67% of people with fixed home Internet access will be connected by fiber or cable. When a household has not taken out a fiber subscription, the lack of a network connection is the most frequently cited reason (39%), followed by a lack of interest (26%).

The appeal of a fast connection is not confined to the home, and also concerns nomadic connections. 78% of French people are equipped with a smartphone capable of accessing the 4G network, and 31% the 5G network. In this respect, age is a decisive factor: 41% of 18-24 year-olds and 42% of 25-39 year-olds are equipped with a smartphone capable of accessing 5G, but only 22% of 60-69 year-olds and 16% of those aged 70 and over.

Today, the smartphone is the most frequently used device for connecting to the Internet (48% of French people) in 2023.

Another sign of the population's infatuation with digital technology is the gradual penetration of connected speakers into the home. Nearly three out of ten French people are now equipped with a connected loudspeaker, representing a strong increase since 2019 (+20 points).

The French are also showing a certain level of interest in the deployment of recent innovations. Seven out of ten French people have already heard of artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT, Google Bard, Midjourney or Dall-E: 38% know what these tools are, and 20% have already tried them out. For the time being, this experimentation has taken place more in a private context (16%) than in a professional or educational context (12%). Certain target groups are quick to adopt these tools. 43% of 18-24 year-olds have used them in their private lives, and 31% of managers and professionals in their professional lives.

Professional and educational uses are also undergoing new mutations. 28% of working people and students use a collaborative office platform or suite, 10% artificial intelligence, virtual/augmented reality or blockchain systems, and 9% a chat bot.

Collaborative platforms or office suites are cited more often by 18-24 year-olds (43%), 25-39 year-olds (36%), university graduates (42%), people living in the Paris area (36%), those in work or studying, and high-income earners (37%).

Editorial media continue their digital transition

More than two-thirds of French people (68%) now have a TV set connected to the Internet, a rate that falls sharply among the elderly (44% among the over-70s) and the uneducated (37%). Just under half of those concerned (30% of French people) use just one mode of connection - mostly the box of an Internet service provider - while 38% report several modes of connection. The latter are characterized by a more male profile, higher education graduates, CSP+ and residents of large conurbations.

Multi-connected profiles show more sustained and diversified usage: more of them use subscription video-on-demand services as well as TV channel applications or services such as YouTube, in addition to watching live TV.

As a result, they report greater ease of access to channels and services on their connected TV set (for 90% of them, compared with 85% on average), while certain categories of the population, such as people with a single connection mode and retirees, show less ease of navigation.

When it comes to audio content, the terrestrial network still predominates. Among the 75% of the French population who consume audio content (podcasts or music, live or on-demand, with or without subscription), a majority (58%) are still primarily loyal to their radio/radio. However, Internet listening is now widespread, with 42% of listeners reporting that they listen to audio content via the Internet, whether most often via the Internet (26%) or as often via terrestrial or IP (16%).

With regard more specifically to DAB+ digital terrestrial radio, which is still being rolled out in France, a third (33%) of audio content consumers have already heard of this reception mode (including 13% who say they can describe exactly what it is), i.e. 28% of the French population. Awareness of this new technology - as well as the rate of equipment - is notably higher among technophile audiences (men, young people, people living in the Paris region, CSP+).

Health, community involvement, information... eight out of ten people consider the Internet to be important for their integration into society.

French interest in the use of digital technologies for healthcare purposes continues, even after the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In 2023, 49% of the Internet-using population sought information about their health or that of a loved one on the Internet. This level is close to that observed before the pandemic (50% in 2018), and other uses have progressed.

Controlling one's health via the internet and digital technologies is thus far more common than before the pandemic: 24%, +16 points compared to 2018. A third of the population would be ready to take this step in the future.

The transmission of health information to one's doctor is also becoming more widespread: 32% of French people did so in 2023, compared with just 9% in 2018. In five years, reluctance on the subject has faded. Only 18% of the population do not consider themselves ready to transmit health information to their doctor via the Internet, compared with 42% in 2018.

Another sign of the use of digital technologies in healthcare is that 38% of the population already manage their own or their children's health online. 25% do not yet do so, but would be prepared to do so in the future. However, the over-sixties are more reserved about using digital technology for health matters.

In the associative sphere, digital tools also occupy an important place. 55% of those surveyed believe that the Internet is a good tool for contributing to associative life. And, in fact, 68% of association members use digital tools for this purpose.

The Internet is also massively used to obtain information from the print media: 71% of people have read articles in the digital press in the last twelve months.

As with reading the press in paper format, this practice is also differentiated by level of qualification. 46% of graduates have read press articles in digital format in the last twelve months, compared to 83% of university graduates. While 65% of the population say they consult online articles available free of charge, 31% of the population pay for a subscription to one or more press titles, buy articles or issues, or have a subscription to a newsstand such as Cafeyn or ePress.

In many cases (40%), readers of the digital version are also buyers of the paper version. Moreover, 44% of digital press readers say that price is the main factor motivating their choice of a digital rather than a paper offer.

63% of respondents see digital technology as a tool that makes their daily lives easier. 22% consider that this technology has no impact on their daily lives, and finally only 13% think that digital technology complicates their daily lives.

All in all, the spread of the internet and, more generally, of digital technology in all aspects of French life makes it an essential space for social integration. 78% of French people believe it is important to have access to the internet to feel integrated into society (+13 points compared to 2016 and +24 points compared to 2009).

A more participative Internet: one French person in two has given an opinion, an assessment or a comment, a figure that has doubled in eight years.

The advent of the so-called "2.0" web, fueled by the participation of everyone, is obvious. The use of social networks is particularly widespread: 78% of the population visit them, even if only rarely, and 38% of French people even log on several times a day. Social networks continue to infiltrate all aspects of daily life, whether for leisure, communication, information or work. 54% of French people use them to share photos or videos with loved ones (versus 31% in 2012). 36% even use them to share opinions, photos and videos in a public way, making tangible the web's long-heralded role as a renewed public square.

In the eight years since the last measurement, social networks have become a form of interface in a variety of fields, with digital entertainment at the top of the list. 63% say they use Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, TikTok and others for entertainment. Today, they also play a major role in the circulation of information: more than one French person in two obtains information through them. They remain a preferred means of keeping in touch with friends and family (63% of the population). The 25-39 age group are the most frequent users of online networks.

Another sign of this participative Internet is that half the population (50%) has given a rating, an evaluation or left a comment on the Internet about a product they've bought or a service they've used. This is twice as many as in 2015, when only a quarter (26%) of the population were involved. The 18-59 age group is particularly active in this area.

At the same time, 60% consulted reviews on the internet, +11 points compared to 2015.

A feeling of lack of control is still the main barrier to digital use

While 55% of French people believe they face no particular obstacles when using digital tools in their daily lives (+3 points on 2022), a number of obstacles remain, notably the feeling of not having mastered the technology, which still concerns a quarter of the total population (25%; +7 points on 2020), poor equipment (13%) or even non-equipment (10%), or connection difficulties (9%).

When they do face difficulties, the French stop or abandon their use of digital tools less often than before: 5% in 2023 versus 8% in 2018. What's more, French people in difficulty tend to seek help from those close to them. Indeed, 26% seek help from friends and family in the event of digital difficulties, and 28% believe that turning to their circle of friends and family is the best way to improve their digital skills. What's more, since the Covid-19 health crisis, the French have developed a certain autonomy with regard to digital technology. In the event of difficulties, 39% of the population seek to manage on their own, and 27% believe that self-training on the Internet would enable them to improve their digital skills. It should be noted, however, that this trend is primarily driven by people who are already comfortable with digital technology and education, such as university graduates. Encountering difficulties remains a factor limiting digital use. Half of the population (50%) limit their use of digital technology. While the price of equipment and subscriptions is the main obstacle cited by 22% of French people, it is directly followed by a feeling of lack of control (18%). In addition, 13% of the French population mention their disinterest and 11% their rejection of digital technology. It's interesting to link these last two results to the fact that over a third of French people say that digital technology has no effect or complicates their daily lives (35%).

Cyber-malware hinders the digitization of society

However, the increasing "digitization" of society is not entirely without its problems. The rise of digital uses also goes hand in hand with an increase in exposure to online scams, insults and harassment.

12% of French people have been victims of cyber-violence in the last twelve months, such as online insults, harassment or defamation, and 21% have been victims of online scams or fraud.

Because they are more present on the web, or because they are particularly sensitive to any form of abuse (Berhuet et al, 2023), young people declare that they are much more often the target of such malice: 39% of 18-24 year-olds and 21% of 25-39 year-olds have been the victim at least once of insults, harassment or defamation online. Similarly, 41% of 18-24 year-olds and 26% of 25-39 year-olds say they have been the victim of online scams or fraud.

On the subject of working life, 36% of employed people believe that digital tools are used by their employer to monitor them. Once again, young people are the most suspicious in this respect. Despite the rise in these risks, only 39% of French people are aware of a reporting system set up by the public authorities to report illicit content (such as Pharos, for example).

More specifically, on social networks and video-sharing platforms, more than 4 out of 10 users (43%) say they have already used a tool to report inappropriate accounts or content. These tools are particularly popular with young adults (84% of 18-24 year-olds).

More broadly speaking, there are still educational issues to be addressed when it comes to understanding the rules applicable on social networks and video-sharing platforms: 47% of users have already consulted their general terms and conditions (GTC) at least once, and of these, almost half (47%) consider them to be "easily understandable", with a fairly marked age effect (56% understanding among 18-24 year-olds who have consulted the GTC, versus 37% among 60-69 year-olds).

A still vague environmental awareness

On a completely different note, digital environmental awareness is still in its infancy among the general public, and the most effective uses are not yet the best identified.

For people with Internet access at home, sorting and cleaning their mailbox (42%), not leaving their digital equipment(smartphone, computer, tablet, etc.) on charge all night (39%) and increasing the lifespan of digital devices(smartphone, computer, tablet, TV, etc.) by taking care of them, having them repaired, etc. (38%) are among the most effective ways of reducing the environmental footprint of digital technology. Increasing the lifespan of digital devices is one of the priority uses identified by ADEME and Arcep, unlike the other two (sorting emails, not leaving equipment on charge at night), which are less far-reaching. Of the three main uses cited, only one is likely to have a significant impact on the environmental footprint of digital technology.

In this respect, almost one person in two with a fixed Internet connection has unused digital equipment in their household. Between 2022 and 2023, the total number of digital devices owned remains very similar: 10 devices (phones, TVs, computers, consoles, tablets, connected watches or bracelets...) are owned on average. Cell phones or smartphones (3 inmates on average), and televisions (2 inmates) are the most frequently owned equipment, along with laptops or desktop computers (2 inmates). On average, 2.4 of these items will not be used in 2023 (compared with 2.6 in 2022). Cell phones or smartphones (0.6) and televisions (0.5) top the list of unused equipment.

However, the proportion of the population personally owning a second-hand or reconditioned smartphone is increasing significantly: 19% in 2023 compared with 17% a year earlier. However, the purchase of a reconditioned smartphone for environmental reasons is marginal: 10% of the population have already bought a smartphone for themselves, and just as many (10%) for another person. Price is a much more attractive criterion for buying a refurbished smartphone , especially when it's for one's own use (23%) rather than someone else's (17%). Young people are the most likely to choose a refurbished smartphone with a view to preserving the environment: 33% of 18-24 year-olds have a refurbished smartphone , compared with 18% of 40-59 year-olds.

A benchmark study led by Arcep, CGE, Arcom and ANCT

Initiated in 2000, the objectives of this study are to:

• measure the adoption of digital equipment by the French and study digital practices;
• detect inequalities in access and skills, whether voluntary or involuntary;
• enable public authorities to anticipate major trends and implement a policy that encourages everyone to embrace digital technology.

In 2023, the survey was carried out in July 2023 among 4,267 people aged 12 and over. The results are based on different samples and collection methods, which have been combined to provide a representation of French society aged 12 and over:

• questions were included in the CREDOC survey on living conditions and aspirations of the French conducted online in July 2023 among 3,448 people aged 18 and over living in mainland France;
• This survey was supplemented by two specific tools: an online survey of 218 young people aged 12 to 17;
• and a telephone survey of 601 people aged 18 and over who do not have a fixed Internet connection at home.

Open data

All survey data since 2007 is available as open data on the website data.gouv.fr.