Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) survey

Summary

Strengths: - The Insee is the most reliable French institute in the field of data collection and analyses; - It’s the French part of an international survey, and as such it strictly follows Eurostat guidance; - The sample size provides quite a large number of respondents aged 60 and above; - For some questions (mainly related to households’ equipment), a yearly follow-up is possible since 1996. Weaknesses: - The methodological break in 2011; - This is a very short survey (by telephone, the questionnaire is answered in 12 minutes on average), and only one topic can be studied (use of technology, and more narrowly ICT use); - Data dictionaries and datasets are not available in English.

Type of data

Data Source
Survey

Type of Study
Crosssection regular

Data gathering method
Telephone
Other: CATI + CAPI in 2008, CATI+internet/paper since 2010.

Access to data

Conditions of access
Free downloadable files from the Centre Quételet (http://www.reseau-quetelet.cnrs.fr/spip/).

Type of available data (e.g. anonymised microdata, aggregated tables, etc.)
Individual data.

Formats available
SAS

Coverage

Coverage Years of collection, reference years, and sample sizes
Wave 1: Data collected in 2007 with a sample size of 7,000 households. Wave 2: Data collected in 2008 with a sample size of 7,000 households. Wave 3: Data collected in 2009 with a sample size of 7,000 households. Wave 4: Data collected in 2010 with a sample size of 7,000 households. Wave 5: Data collected in 2011 with a sample size of 16,000 households. Wave 6: Data collected in 2012 with a sample size of 27,000 households (7,000 by telephone, 20,000 via internet and paper questionnaires). There is a questionnaire dealing with household’s equipment. One person is randomly selected in each participating household to answer the questionnaire dealing with individual use.

First year of collection
From 1996 to 2005, the Permanent Living Conditions Survey scheme (EPCV, see corresponding document) has provided a yearly measurement of the proportion of households equipped with mobile telephones and microcomputers. Since 2007, given the development of new technologies, the household Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Survey has become an annual stand-alone survey.

Stratification if applicable

Base used for sampling

Geographical coverage and breakdowns
national

Age range
people aged 15 or over.

Statistical representativeness
Population representative

Coverage of main and cross-cutting topics
The ICT survey allows for a detailed study of the topic Uses of Technology, as far as Information and Communication Technologies are concerned. The aim of the ICT survey of households is to collect information regarding the following topics: households' equipment of information and communication technologies (desktop computers and laptop computers, pocket computers like palm or PDA, internet and telephones); skills in information technology and internet, and obstacles to the use of new technologies; internet uses and frequency of use, use of eGovernment and e-commerce. Every year, the ICT survey focuses on one aspect: online purchasing of goods via the internet (2009), people's skills in information technology and internet, and how they have learned them (2011), eGovernement (2013), cloud computing (2014). No other topic can be studied with this survey (only very basic information regarding education, occupation, housing and income).

Linkage

Standardisation
Use of ISCED/ISCO taxonomies as requested by Eurostat. Questionnaire designed by Eurostat.

Possibility of linkage among databases
No

Data quality

Entry errors if applicable

Breaks
Methodological break in 2010. Before, the sampling procedure was based on the telephone directory, but such procedure induced an increasing selection bias. Beginning in 2011, the sampling procedure uses the French Local Residence Tax register.

Consistency of terminology or coding used during collection
Each year the survey uses the same questionnaire from Eurostat + 1 theme changing each year (see above).

Governance

Contact information
Vincent Gombault
INSEE (National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies)
18, boulevard Adolphe-Pinard
75675 Paris Cedex 14 France Phone: (+33) 01 41 17 53 65
Email: vincent.gombault(at)insee.fr
Url:

Timeliness, transparency
Data are collected in April/May; first results are transmitted to Eurostat in September.