Community Survey on ICT usage in households and by individuals

Summary

The Community Survey on ICT usage in households and by individuals is unique as it provides data on the topic of uses of technology, which is otherwise often neglected albeit the increasing importance of technology for active ageing. The survey data has been included as an indicator of ICT use in the Active Ageing Index - a new analytical tool that aims to help policy makers in developing policies for active and healthy ageing. Furthermore, the survey is developed in close collaboration with the Member States and the OECD and is adapted to the changing needs of users and policy makers. A great strength of the survey is that it is the first survey to produce harmonised data related to technology use in the EU 27. Since the survey is conducted on regular basis comparison of technology use over time is also possible. However, it has to be kept in mind that the questions in the model questionnaire are adapted each year to measure the development of the use of ICT. Therefore not all variables have long time series.

Type of data

Data Source
Survey

Type of Study
Crosssection regular

Data gathering method
Telephone
Face-to-face

Access to data

Conditions of access
Online tables of basic indicators. There is currently no access to the microdata.

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

Formats available
XLS, CSV, HTML, PC AXIS, SPSS, TSV, PDF

Coverage

Coverage Years of collection, reference years, and sample sizes
Survey has been conducted annually since 2002 Reference year is the same year of release Sample size: 215,000 individuals and 150,000 households (based on 2011 data)

First year of collection
2002

Stratification if applicable
Relating to households: by region of residence (optional: NUTS 2); by geographical location; by degree of urbanisation; by type of household; by households net monthly income (optional) Relating to individuals: by region of residence (optional: NUTS 2); by geographical location; by degree of urbanisation; by gender; by country of birth, country of citizenship (as of 2010, optional in 2010); by educational level; by occupation; by employment situation; by age (in completed years and by groups); legal / de facto marital status (as of 2011, optional)

Base used for sampling

Geographical coverage and breakdowns
NUTS was used (Regional breakdowns have been provided on a voluntary basis for 2006 and 2007 according to NUTS1 or NUTS2 by several countries. Starting from 2008, the collection of NUTS1 breakdowns is obligatory (regional breakdowns for all countries are available) while NUTS2 breakdowns are still optional. All EU member states, and Norway and Iceland, Croatia, Montenegro, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey

Age range
Individuals aged 16-74 and one member of each household that is aged 16-74

Statistical representativeness
Population representative

Coverage of main and cross-cutting topics
The survey is a suitable database for a comparative study of various ICT related topics in the European Union, the candidate countries, and Norway and Iceland. The topics covered are as follows: - access to and use of ICTs by individuals and/or in households, - use of the Internet and other electronic networks for different purposes by individuals and/or in households, - ICT security and trust, - ICT competence and skills, - barriers to the use of ICT and the Internet, - perceived effects of ICT usage on individuals and/or on households, - use of ICT by individuals to exchange information and services with governments and public administrations (e-government), - access to and use of technologies enabling connection to the Internet or other networks from anywhere at any time (ubiquitous connectivity). (Source: Eurostat metadata)

Linkage

Standardisation
ISCED is used to code education levels and ISCO is used to code occupation

Possibility of linkage among databases
N/A

Data quality

Entry errors if applicable
Data has been checked and where there are variances in the data due to differences in the questionnaires, it is noted.

Breaks
The national statistical institute is responsible for collecting data in their respective countries.

Consistency of terminology or coding used during collection
The model questionnaire is generally used in the Member States. Due to (small) differences in translation, in reference periods, in the used survey vehicle, in non-response treatment or different routing through the questionnaire, some results for some countries may be of reduced comparability. In these cases, notes are added in the metadata in the Variable specific footnotes.

Governance

Contact information
Peter Pospisil
Eurostat, Unit 6
5, rue Alphonse Weicker
2721 Luxembourg Luxembourg Phone: +352-4301-33295
Email: peter.pospisil(at)ec.europa.eu
Url: http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/information_society/data/database

Timeliness, transparency
There is no fixed release calendar. In previous years, ICT data have been disseminated mid of December with a press release, Data in Focus or Statistics in Focus publications and the simultaneous update of all dissemination tables and comprehensive databases.