Digital spring cleaning: men tidy up more than women

In the analog world, women are more likely to spring clean; digitally, it's the men. Interestingly, the younger generation aged between 18 and 29 (65.9%) finds it much easier to get rid of things than the over-60s (44.1%). However, the survey shows that digital spring cleaning is not yet a fixed date in people's minds. Only around 38% of men and 33% of women use the beginning of the year for a major clean on their computer, smartphone and tablet. Nevertheless, users are not digital cleaning grouches or data messies: around 80% regularly clear their computers and smartphones of junk data and dusty apps. This is the result of a representative survey conducted by European IT security manufacturer ESET in the latest Digital Spring Cleaning survey.

"Fortunately, four out of five users regularly tidy up their computer and smartphone and delete unused apps," says Thomas Uhlemann, ESET Security Specialist. "Keeping your device tidy is an important element of protection against cyber criminals."

Almost 40 percent of men do a digital spring clean

Not only do more men than women do the digital spring clean, they are also the tidier ones for the rest of the year. Nine out of ten men regularly clear out their computers. Among women, however, the figure is also around 80 percent. When it comes to smartphone tidiness, both genders are almost on a par.

Analog spring cleaning is marked in red in the calendars of many households

Around 73% of women and 67% of men use the first warm rays of spring sunshine to give their homes a major clean. The younger generation between the ages of 18 and 49 find it much easier to get rid of things that have been gathering dust for more than three years than people aged 60 and over.