The teams of the M@rsouin observatory and the Fondation Internet Nouvelle Génération (FING) conducted a survey of a sample of 2,000 people in order to better understand whether the French (and among them, which social groups) all benefit to the same degree from the potentialities offered by the Internet in terms of increasing their power to act. It covered the whole spectrum of opportunities in different spheres of social life: sociability, political participation, access to information, education/learning, increased purchasing power, professional insertion, etc.).
This survey, conducted as part of the Capacity research project, funded by the French National Research Agency (ANR), was supported by the Agence du Numérique. The survey is also part of the World Internet Project (WIP): an international collaborative research project involving institutions from more than 30 countries on all continents. The main objective of the WIP is to agree on a set of common questions to be included in these national surveys, in order to have internationally comparable indicators.
84% of French people over 18 are Internet users
The computer remains the main mode of connection to the Internet, strongly competed by the smartphone, and to a lesser extent by the digital tablet. There are as many Internet users (anyone who has used the Internet at least once in the last three months), in proportion, among men as among women. The proportion of Internet users varies according to age (100% among 18-24 year olds, 59% among those aged 65 and over), level of education (97% among those with a degree of 3 years or more, 79% among those with a BEP), income level (96% among those with an income of over €4,000, 69% for incomes of less than €1,400) and socio-professional category.85% of respondents said they were "comfortable" or "very comfortable". This feeling is stronger among the youngest and most educated people. But even among the over 65s, more than 70% declare themselves "at ease" in their use of the Internet.
Who are the non-internet users?
This is a relatively old population: 62% of non-Internet users are over 65 years old, 37% between 50 and 64 years old. Related to age, this population of non-Internet users is mostly composed of retirees (60% of non-Internet users, while they represent only 26% of the total sample).Also in relation to age, non-graduates are over-represented: half of the non-Internet users have an elementary or secondary school education (compared to 15% of the total sample). This over-representation of non-graduates among non-Internet users must be put into perspective by the very structure of this sub-population, in which the older generations are over-represented, and on the whole have fewer diplomas than the generations that have benefited from the massification of access to diplomas.
The main reason given for not using the Internet is lack of interest. 14% have used the Internet in the past.
Nearly two-thirds of non-Internet users feel happier without the Internet than if they were connected to it. This absence of connection to the Internet sometimes even leads to a certain pride: more than a third declare that they are "sometimes proud not to use the Internet".
8 out of 10 non-Internet users say no when asked if they feel disconnected from certain conversations or miss opportunities to see people they know because they don't use the Internet.
4 Internet user profiles
A first exploration of the Capacity survey data allowed us to distinguish four different profiles of Internet users that differentiate individuals according to their relationship to digital tools.The hyperconnected (31% of Internet users)
A first profile is distinguished by the intensity and diversity of its digital practices. These Internet users have many computer skills and feel very comfortable with the Internet. They use the Internet as a tool for learning, communication, entertainment, information and consumption. They have several email accounts, are present on several social networks and connect in most of the places where they are: at home, at work or in their school, but also outside either through their smartphone or via a public wifi network.The equipment used to access the Internet is also varied, since in addition to the traditional computers (97%), smartphones (96%) and tablets (52%), some of them connect via their television (43%) or their game console (30%).
Almost all of them (96%) carry out their administrative procedures online. A third of them have a certificate attesting to their digital skills such as C2i (30%), and about a quarter are active on the web (signing petitions, relaying claims, etc.).
This class is rather young: 28% of 18-24 year olds and 29% of 25-34 year olds, with an overrepresentation of students (23% in this class versus 10% in the French population). This is also the case for executives (19%) and intermediate professions (21%). Their level of study is mainly in higher education (short for 29%, long for 37%). Finally, the population of this class is rather male (61% men and 39% women).
Digital "utilitarians" (38% of Internet users)
This class is made up of Internet users who say they are comfortable using the Internet and have good computer skills.Most of them are equipped with a smartphone, and regularly connect to the Internet with it.
They connect to the Internet in several places (home, work, via smartphone), but less automatically than the "hyperconnected".
Generally speaking, they use the Internet less intensively than the "hyperconnected". These uses are nevertheless varied, since these people use the Internet for learning and information, but also and above all for entertainment and consumption. 84% of them also do their administrative procedures online.
This class is predominantly female (59% female). The employees are the most numerous and are slightly over-represented (22% against 17% in the total population), as well as the 35-49 years old (32% against 28%) and the holders of a CAP/BEP level of education (29% against 25%). Their militant expression on the Internet is rather weak and they are rather readers of the interventions on forums, blogs, etc. than contributors.
Traditional" Internet users (17% of Internet users)
These Internet users have a fairly low skill level, when considering all the tasks they say they can do online, but they still feel comfortable using the Internet (70%).They generally have an e-mail address or an account on a social network (75%) and use the Internet mainly for communication and information purposes. For a part of them, they also use it for entertainment and learning, even if the diversity of their practices for these purposes is more reduced than for the previous profiles.
They usually connect at home via a computer, most of them do not own a smartphone (93%) and few of them access the Internet via a tablet (33%), and even fewer via a television (12%) or a game console (1%). Their digital practices are close to traditional Internet uses.
This class is made up of relatively old people, with an overrepresentation of people over 65 (35% vs. 15% in the total population), 50-64 (38% vs. 24%). Retirees are therefore over-represented (38% versus 18%).
The "distant" (14% of Internet users)
These "distant" Internet users are distinguished by their low level of comfort on the Internet: they declare that they know how to do far fewer tasks on the Internet than other Internet users, and the majority of them (63%) do not feel comfortable in their use of the Internet. They use it for entertainment and learning, and somewhat less for consumption, information or communication.Three quarters of them do not do their administrative procedures online. Almost a third do not have an email address or an account on a social network.
Their online activism is reduced and they do not visit forums, blogs, social networks, etc. On the other hand, nearly a third access the Internet via a smartphone. Their use of the Internet is fairly recent (less than 9 years for more than 60% of them, compared to about 40% for all Internet users). This population is, like the previous one, rather old: 33% are over 65 years old and 39% between 50 and 64 years old. Their level of education is rather low: 26% have an elementary or middle school level, 40% have a CAP/BEP level. Retired people are over-represented (34%), as well as people with no professional activity (16%) and workers (20%). This is also the case for people declaring that they have a very difficult life with their current income, who represent 14% of the population in this class, compared to 7% in the total population.
Gender differences
While the population of Internet users is made up of as many men as women, and while there are as many men as women who do not use the Internet at all, gender differences come into play when we analyze more precisely how Internet users are distinguished according to their relationship to the digital world.The most pronounced gender differences correspond to the profile of the hyper-connected, a group of Internet users that includes more men (61%) than women, and to the profile of "remote Internet users", where women are in the majority (59%).
Who is taking advantage of the Internet to reach out to other social circles?
Does the extent of the Internet's diffusion in the social space and the range of networking possibilities offered by digital tools reduce inequalities in social capital? The Capacity survey allows us to explore the characteristics of individuals who responded that the Internet has allowed them to open up to other social environments.If we ask French Internet users if the Internet has "allowed them to open up to other social circles", 55% answer in the negative. They are 34%, that is to say more than a third, to answer "Yes a little" and 10% "Yes, a lot". The Internet thus plays a significant, but limited, role in social mixing, when we analyze this potential on an aggregate scale.
The youngest age groups are the most likely to report that the Internet has opened them up to other social circles, while the likelihood of responding that this is the case decreases with the age of the Internet users.
The level of education, on the other hand, does not affect the way this question is answered.
On the other hand, the level of household income, especially for the lowest income households, is significantly correlated with the way this question is answered. Those reporting the lowest level of income (less than 1,400 euros per month) are only 44% to respond in the negative, and they are more likely to answer "Yes, a lot" to this question. They also make up 35% of those answering "Yes, a lot" to this question (whereas the category of people declaring less than 1,400 euros of household income accounts for only 26% of the survey sample).
Conversely, people declaring a monthly household income of 2900 to 4000 euros have a lower probability of answering "Yes a lot" to this question.
This correlation with the level of household income shows that the Internet is a factor for correcting inequalities in social capital, which we know is stronger the higher the income. This corrective effect is found when we look at the socio-professional categories that answer the most in the affirmative: besides students, who answer massively "yes" (which corroborates the correlation with the age of the Internet users stated above), employees and workers are more numerous, in proportion, to declare that the Internet has allowed them to open up to new social environments.
Maintaining or developing social capital online also presupposes a certain degree of ease with the use of the Internet: the Internet users who say they are "at ease" or "very at ease" are more numerous than the others, in proportion, to say that the Internet has enabled them to open up to other social circles. This result invites to qualify the role of correction of the inequalities of social capital played by Internet. Indeed, the level of ease on Internet is related to the level of income but especially, is very strongly correlated with the level of education: the less one is graduated, the more one has chance to be only "little at ease with Internet" and conversely, the more one is graduated, the more the probability to declare oneself "very at ease" is high.
Internet or empowerment through knowledge?
By making available an inexhaustible supply of digital content in various formats (text, video, sound) in all areas of human activity, the Internet appears to be a source of knowledge available to all citizens, regardless of their socio-economic status.The Capacity survey seeks to explore, in French society, the reality of this empowerment through the activation of this potential for deepening knowledge via the Internet.
Only 15% of Internet users surveyed say they have participated in a distance learning course (for training or to obtain a degree or certificate).
This minority is on the whole younger, better educated and wealthier than the Internet users as a whole.
The most striking result concerning the profile of Internet users taking online courses is the very strong over-representation of the most highly qualified (bac +3 and more) and the under-representation of those with a CAP/BEP level or less: Thus, those who make the most use of the Internet to broaden their range of knowledge and skills in formal learning arrangements are those whose skills are already recognized through diplomas, whereas, among Internet users with a level of education lower than or equal to CAP/BEP (851 people in the sample), only a handful (32 people) have already taken an online course.
Internet and purchasing power
The possibilities of intermediation opened up by the Internet have radically transformed the consumption patterns of the French. The quantity and quality of information available to consumers on products and services available on the market, the rise of e-commerce and, more recently, transactions between individuals supported by digital platforms have turned traditional commercial players and many services (travel agencies, hotels, mobility services, etc.) upside down.On the whole, the new uses place consumers in a position of strength, allowing them to compete with suppliers (professional or not). But they also allow Internet users to position themselves as suppliers of goods or services, whether for commercial transactions (sales, rentals) or free of charge (donations). This is what is covered by the term collaborative economy, which is based on the principle of peer-to-peer transactions, whether or not through digital platforms. Buying better (and cheaper), selling or renting, sharing objects (by lending or renting, or sharing car journeys, etc.) are different levers of a potential reconquest of purchasing power.
Through a series of questions about online consumption patterns, the uses of the collaborative economy and the benefits that Internet users derive from these practices in terms of purchasing power, the Capacity survey allows us to see who benefits the most from them.
Three quarters of Internet users look for online information about products (consumer reviews, qualities, etc.). Three quarters also make purchases on e-commerce sites. The same number use online banking services or pay bills on the Internet.
More than half of Internet users use the Internet to compare the price of products or services (60%), or to buy/book train, plane or tourist accommodation tickets (59%). They are 50% to buy objects or services from individuals and nearly 40% to offer objects for sale or rent.
Age, socio-professional category and monthly household income partly determine the likelihood of making purchases on e-commerce sites. Internet users aged 25 to 49 are more likely to do so than other age groups, including the youngest (18-24 years), whose general consumption is probably less intense (particularly because of
Who is using the Internet to get politically involved?
When asked if the Internet has given them opportunities to get involved politically, 91% of Internet users (anyone who has used the Internet at least once in the last three months) say no. However, 32% say they have already relayed an advocacy message online, whether by email, on social networks or otherwise (including 11% who say they do so often). However, 32% say they have already relayed a claim online, whether by email, on social networks or otherwise (including 11% who say they do it often).44% of Internet users say they have already signed an online petition, and even 14% say they have already created a Facebook page or group, or even a website to defend a cause.
Overall, the French do not seem to see the Internet as a way to participate more politically. Only one-quarter agree that the Internet provides a better understanding of political issues, and only 29% agree that the Internet allows for greater political impact. The statement that the Internet allows people to express themselves more on political issues wins more support: just over one-third of French people agree with this idea (20% somewhat agree and 15% strongly agree).
Three distinct relationships to the political Internet among Internet users
An analysis of the relationships between the variables concerning the political use of the Internet allows us to distinguish 3 types of profiles according to their relationship to the political Internet.Digital activists
This class represents 18% of the Internet user population. They are the most politically involved. Their online activism is strong: 58% often relay demands, 59% often sign petitions, 28% even create pages, Facebook groups or websites to defend causes (compared to 6% in the total population) and 8% create petitions (compared to 1% in the total population).For some of them, the Internet gives them the opportunity to become politically involved (a little 32%, a lot 10%) and militant or associative (a little 42%, a lot 25%). For them, the Internet has a strong impact on political issues. It is a tool that allows them to better understand political issues, but also to express themselves more on them and have a greater political impact.
More than half feel very comfortable expressing their views on politics, and about a third strongly agree that the Internet is a safe place to express political views. These are people who are very comfortable with the Internet, and have a wide range of uses for it. They have good computer skills and are quite visible online, due to their contributions on blogs, forums, social networks, chats, etc. They have several email addresses and accounts on the Internet. They have several email addresses and social network accounts, have a smartphone and connect to the Internet in many places.
Students and managers are over-represented in this class (15% vs. 10% and 16% vs. 12% respectively), as are 25-34 year olds (25% vs. 19%). They accept the fact that there is no privacy on the Internet, but they want to preserve it, and are concerned that others - companies, public institutions, individuals - may violate it. They will therefore exercise strict control over their personal data online.
The moderates
This class represents 65% of the Internet user population. They have a rather weak online militant commitment: 72% never relay any claim, but 38% of them (rarely) sign petitions on the Internet. The Internet has not given them any opportunities to get involved in the political world (97%), nor in activism or associations (83%).Unlike "digital activists," individuals in this class are more divided on the question of the Internet's impact on politics. They do not have a strong opinion on whether the Internet allows them to better understand political issues, have a greater impact, or even be able to express themselves more on political issues. They are also very measured about their political expression online, whether it is feeling comfortable expressing their opinions, or feeling that they can say them without fear. But they do feel comfortable in their use of the Internet in general.
The refractory to the political Internet
This class represents 17% of the Internet user population.They strongly disagree with the propositions, "By using the Internet, one can better understand political issues" (81% of them), "By using the Internet, one can have a greater political impact" (82%) and "By using the Internet, one can have a greater voice on political issues" (78%).
For them, the Internet has no impact on the way they perceive politics: the Internet contributes nothing, neither to their understanding nor to their political expression. They do not feel at all comfortable saying what they think about politics (53%), and are rather suspicious of expression on the Internet: 67% do not agree at all with the proposition "on the Internet, one can say one's political opinions without fear".
This is quite consistent with the fact that they never relay demands online (84%), nor sign petitions on the Internet (72%). The Internet has not given them any opportunities to get involved in the world of activism or associations (95% versus 77% in the total population), nor in the world of politics (98% versus 90%).
The population of this class has a reduced use of the Internet, not very diversified, and does not feel very comfortable when they use it. However, they generally have an e-mail address and a little more than 60% of these people do their administrative procedures online.
They are also people who seek to protect their privacy, especially on the Internet, and are aware of the difficulties that this can represent and of the fact that they are not necessarily able to do so.
They also place very little trust in information found on the Internet. The 50-64 year olds are over-represented in this group (32% versus 23% in the total population).
