Annual report led by Arcep, ANCT, CGE and, this year, Arcom, the digital barometer looks back on the 2022 evolution of digital equipment and uses in France.
The end of the health crisis and the return to normal life will not have brought the French back to the digital uses of yesteryear. The 2022 edition of the barometer produced by CREDOC reveals, on the contrary, a clear progression in the connection and equipment of Internet users despite the increase in the difficulties encountered and the current environmental issues.
9 out of 10 French people are connected to the Internet
Between 2020 and 2022, the share of the French population connected to the Internet remains stable (92%). Among the Internet users surveyed, 82% connect daily, and 58% of them feel that they cannot go without the Internet for more than a day.
Asked about the services they would have the most difficulty doing without, 65% of respondents cited emails (+2 points compared to 2016) and 22% mentioned online administrative procedures (+7 points). Notably, social networks, still favored by 26% of Internet users, fell by 4 points. Instant messaging is gaining ground and is considered essential for 20% of French people (+7 points).
87% of French people have a smartphone
In constant progress since its appearance in the early 2010s, the smartphone continues to attract nearly 9 out of 10 French people. Today, 87% of French people have a connected mobile device (+3 points compared to 2020) and 47% of respondents use it as their preferred means of Internet access. A figure that again relegates the computer to second position, while 2020, the year of repeated confinements, had seen its share of web use grow (43%) and exceed that of the smartphone (41%).
On the other hand, despite a higher penetration rate, smartphone use has tended to decrease over the past few years. Today, 83% of connected mobile owners use them daily, compared to 94% in 2019.
32 hours per week: the average time spent in front of a screen
If the daily use of smartphones has tended to decrease for 3 years, the average screen time for all media is 168 hours per week. A dizzying number which corresponds to approximately one fifth of the available time of the French. Beware of shortcuts, however, as this figure includes both the personal and professional habits of respondents.
Of these 35 hours, half (17h) corresponds to the weekly time spent in front of the television, and a quarter (8h) to the time spent viewing audiovisual content online. A trend that confirms the decline in interest in TV programs (-2h since 2020) and the increase in the use of web video broadcasting platforms (+2h).
We can emphasize here the increase in subscriptions to video on demand services. While there were only 36% of subscribers to a streaming platform in 2019, more than half of the French population (55%) now has access to Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ or again MyCanal.
40% of French people equipped with at least 1 connected object
Connected objects continue to be integrated into the daily lives of French people. As a glaring example, 27% of respondents say they own a voice-assisted smart speaker, up from 19% in 2020 and 9% in 2019.
Apart from telephones, computers, speakers, televisions and game consoles, 40% of the French population owns at least one connected object relating to health (24%, i.e. +14 points compared to 2019), household appliances ( 19%, +14 points), security (21%, +15 points) or home automation (17%, +16 points).
An increase in usage is certainly correlated with the growing distribution of very high-speed Internet. In 2022, 56% of home connections are wired or fiber, compared to 39% in 2020 and 29% in 2019.
84% of Internet users buy on the Internet
Propelled by the health crisis, online purchases continue to increase in the habits of the French and today concern 84% of Internet users (+2 points compared to 2020). Unsurprisingly, these statistics are mainly driven by 18-69 year olds (between 81% and 88% of online buyers) while we observe more marginal behavior among 12-17 year olds (64%) and the most 70 years (48%).
The frequency of purchases also varies by age. More than half of 18-39 year olds buy goods on the Internet every month (20% every week). Among those over 60, this monthly share falls to a third of Internet users.
Major societal and environmental issues
Beyond the growing changes in equipment and uses, this 2022 barometer reveals paradoxes and inequalities in digital mastery.
More than a quarter of Internet users could not do without Internet access to carry out administrative procedures. In 2022, 71% of the total French population had to carry out this type of procedure at least once during the year. However, 54% of French people have experienced at least one difficulty requiring human support to finalize their online procedures. The reason: insufficient mastery of IT tools (25%), obsolescence of equipment (12%), restricted Internet access (9%), total lack of equipment (11%). A brake that one might think is limited to the most disconnected people, but which nevertheless concerns 44% of people who believe they have gained in digital skills over the past two years.
On the other hand, we note an increased use of accessibility tools when available, by all age groups. 8 out of 10 people claim to regularly adjust the brightness settings of their device, 6 out of 10 French people use the screen’s zoom functions and 30% of Internet users use voice commands (audio description and enunciation) at least once a week. Also increasingly in demand are options for changing font size, contrast and color inversion (dark mode).
For the first time since its creation, the digital barometer insists on the environmental issues raised by the increase in consumption by the French. Indeed, the study tends to show that the increase in online purchases does not compensate for the decrease in in-store acquisitions, but in addition. Purchasing acts are themselves increasing, particularly among 12-17 year olds, who are more exposed to ultra-fast fashion and second-hand resale sites.
More specifically, the barometer shows that digital equipment still represents an important environmental problem. In 2022, 90% of TV owners said they bought it new. Of all the sets acquired that same year, a quarter were renewed while the old one was still functioning correctly, and half of these functional TVs were less than 4 years old. Two main reasons justify these too often premature changes: the desire to acquire newer and more sophisticated equipment (35% of respondents), and the opportunity to take advantage of a promotional offer (31%).
Despite efforts made by consumers to limit their carbon footprint – 15% donate their equipment to recycling centres, 19% use it as secondary stations, 30% resell it or give it to relatives – more than a third of of them throw them in the recycling center (30%) or in the classic trash can (2%).
Arcom
