Eurobarometer: Europeans have high expectations of the internet and digital tools

The vast majority of EU citizens believe that the internet and digital tools will play an important role in the future, according to a new Eurobarometer survey. The survey found that more than eight in ten Europeans (81%) believe that, by 2030, digital tools and the Internet will be important in their lives.

More than 80% of EU citizens believe that their use will provide at least as many advantages and disadvantages by 2030. In ten countries more than 50% of respondents expect the use of digital tools and the Internet to bring them more advantages than disadvantages (especially in Finland 67%, Denmark 63% and Sweden 62%), but in Greece the corresponding percentage is only 28%, in France 29% and in Romania 25%.

Only 12% of Europeans expect more disadvantages than advantages from the use of digital tools and the Internet in the future, but in Greece the percentage of “pessimists” (22%) is the highest in Europe, followed by Austria (20 %) and France (18%), with the least negative in Finland (2%) and Ireland (6%).

More than half of EU citizens surveyed (56%) expressed concern about cyber-attacks and cybercrime, such as theft or misuse of personal data, malware or cyber-fishing. In addition, more than half (53%) also expressed concern for the safety and well-being of children online (in Greece the rate is 63%).

Almost half (46%) of EU citizens are concerned about the use of personal data and information by companies or public administrations, with the percentage of “concerned” in Greece (64%) being the highest of all countries. About a third (34%) of EU citizens are concerned about the difficulty of disconnecting and achieving a good balance between life on and off the internet, with Greece again being the “champion” with 44% (along with Croatia and the Netherlands with the same rate).

About one in four (26%) citizens are concerned about the difficulty of learning new digital skills, necessary for active participation in society, with Greece and Italy reporting the highest percentages (35%).

The majority of Europeans (over 50%) believe that the EU adequately protects their rights in the online environment, but in France this percentage is 38% and in Greece 39%. Our country has the highest percentage (46%) of those who believe that the EU does not adequately protect their rights on the Internet.

However, a significant number of citizens (almost 40% in the EU, 41% in Greece) are unaware that their rights such as freedom of expression, privacy or non-discrimination should also be respected online.

The vast majority (82%) of EU citizens consider it useful for the European Union to define and promote a common European vision for digital rights and digital principles. For example, 90% of EU citizens (95% in Greece) are in favor of including the principle that everyone, including people with disabilities or at risk of exclusion, should benefit from affordable and easy-to-use digital public services.

Citizens in the EU at least 90% (in Greece 93% to 95%) want to be clearly informed about the terms and conditions that apply to their internet connection, to have access to the internet through an affordable connection high-speed and be able to use secure and reliable digital identity to access a wide range of public and private online services.

The highest rates of non-use of the Internet were reported by Portugal (13%), Lithuania (10%) and Greece (9%), ie almost one in ten Greeks surveyed does not use the internet.

The results of this first Eurobarometer survey, conducted from 16 September to 17 October 2021 on 26,530 people from the 27 EU Member States, will help to develop a proposal for a European statement by the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on with digital rights and digital principles. The statement will promote a digital transition shaped by common European values ​​and a people-centered vision for technological change.

SOURCE: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ