IPMZ study attests to Switzerland's high level of digital well-being

The Institute of Mass Communication and Media Research at the University of Zurich (IPMZ) has conducted a representative survey on Internet use in Switzerland.

Reading the newspaper, posting vacation pictures or watching cat videos on YouTube: The internet can be used for many purposes, but how do we evaluate our online activities? Digital overconsumption and the feeling of missing out on more important things as a result is higher among young people and people with a low level of education, but the majority do not see it as a major problem. Eight out of ten users (83%) in Switzerland state that they are good at distinguishing between important and unimportant internet activities. Three quarters (75%) of users believe they can selectively choose which people or information sources they follow online, while 73% believe they can set up internet services or devices so that they do not interfere.

Digital expectation pressure higher for boys

Half of internet users (50%) in Switzerland feel that they are expected to respond quickly to messages in everyday life. The pressure of digital expectations in terms of availability and skills is felt more strongly by young and highly educated people in particular. When it comes to social media use, young people and those with a low level of education increasingly feel under pressure. The majority (78%) rate their own Internet skills as at least good, with only 4% rating them as poor. Overall, men rate themselves better than women. "Digital well-being is high in Switzerland," summarizes Michael Latzer, Professor of Media Change & Innovation at the University of Zurich. The survey, which was conducted for the fourth time and is representative of Switzerland, now also includes questions on difficulties in everyday use of the internet.

Nine out of ten Swiss are online

90% of the Swiss population use the internet today. Four out of five users (79%) are also online while on the move. The average time spent online has doubled since 2011 and now amounts to 25.5 hours per week. Young and low-educated people spend the most time online. The number of non-users has halved in the past six years. However, half of offline users benefit indirectly from the internet by letting others do research or complete tasks for them. The number of absolute non-users in Switzerland is therefore around 360,000 (5 percent).

20 to 29-year-olds find it hardest to do without a smartphone

Internet use via cell phone is growing faster than via computers and tablets. Virtually all young people, but only one in four (27%) of the 70+ age group use the Internet via cell phone. 20 to 29-year-olds find it hardest to do without their cell phone for short periods, while the youngest and oldest find it easiest. Home use (95%) and work use (72%) are at a high level, with half also using the Internet at home for professional purposes. Online social networks are already used by 6 out of 10 people (62%), compared to just 4 (41%) in 2011.

A good half of internet users produce their own online content (51%) or share content (56%). "Many of them are actively involved in gatekeeping. They help determine which topics reach the Swiss public and how they are discussed," says communication scientist Latzer.

One in three Swiss sells online

86% of Swiss internet users search for product information online. Three quarters of Swiss users (77%) shop online, with travel bookings (66%) being particularly popular. A third (35%) also sell online themselves. Sharing economy services such as Uber and Airbnb are used by 20%, while 5% also actively offer services themselves.

Strong growth in chatting, Internet telephony and time-shifted TV

Of the interaction options, texting/chatting (83%) and Internet telephony (67%) have increased the most in recent years - both have doubled. Private (61%) and professional (34%) online social networks have continued to grow and are used intensively: Two thirds of users (67 percent) log into private online social networks on a daily basis. Twitter is used actively by 8 percent and passively by 15 percent. In terms of entertainment, music (69%) and video consumption (65%) dominate. Time-shifted TV (50%) has increased the most since 2011 (plus 13 percentage points). A third (35%) play games online, 17% gamble and 25% say they watch erotic content.

Internet also the most important source of entertainment

In 2017, the internet is not only the most important source of media information in Switzerland, followed by newspapers and television, it is also in first place for entertainment purposes for the first time, on a par with television. In both categories, however, personal offline contacts are still considered far more important. In the 70+ age group, the internet is still less important than newspapers and radio for both information and entertainment.

Increased fact-checking

The increasing global fake news debate is reflected in usage behavior. In the "information" category, fact-checking (78%, up 18 percentage points since 2011) and news searches (86%, up 11 percentage points since 2011) have increased the most in recent years. Online encyclopaedias are now used by 86% and search engines by almost everyone (97%).

Trust in content collapses

"The Snowden revelations and the fake news accusations from populists are also having an impact in Switzerland," says Michael Latzer. "Trust in internet content has fallen considerably since 2013 - across all age groups." Until 2013, three quarters of the Swiss population rated at least half of online content as credible; in 2017, the figure was 58%. The credibility of the various information providers is assessed differently: SRG, public authorities and newspapers for sale significantly better than user-generated content and online social networks.

Great concern about violation of privacy

One in two people are concerned that companies (51%) or other people (46%) are violating their privacy online. Four in 10 internet users (39%) fear that governments do the same. Older internet users are more concerned about their privacy being breached by other people than younger people. The oldest group (70+) is more concerned about governments violating their privacy than the other respondents. Eight out of ten internet users (81%) in Switzerland are very concerned about protecting their privacy and 44% believe they can control their privacy on the internet. A quarter (27%) think that data protection concerns are exaggerated. Three quarters (76%) of users are of the opinion that they have nothing to hide. Older internet users are more likely to feel that they can control their privacy online. At the same time, they are more likely to say that they have nothing to hide and that concerns about privacy online are exaggerated.

One in ten confronted with data breaches

11 percent of users in Switzerland have been confronted with data breaches in the last twelve months. These usually only led to minor problems. Financial losses (31 percent) and embarrassment (25 percent) were the most common consequences. The most common negative experiences online are unwanted pornographic content (41 percent) and data misuse attempts such as phishing (37 percent). One in five users (19%) was affected by virus problems and 6% by cyberbullying - particularly in the 14 to 29 age group.

"Despite increasing awareness of the social risks of internet use, the predominantly reserved attitude of the Swiss population towards internet regulation remains constant", explains Michael Latzer. The rejection of increased internet regulation predominates among the Swiss population. The call for more regulation increases with age and decreases with the level of education.

Half feel integrated in the information society

Half of the population (54%) feels integrated into the information society, 13% (rather) do not and a third (32%) are neutral or undecided. The feeling of involvement is stronger among men, decreases with age and increases with the level of education and Internet skills. The majority of respondents in Switzerland deny that using the internet has increased the importance of individual democracy. "Although internet use can help with understanding politics, 40% believe this, it does not lead to a greater say or influence on the political process in the country," explains Michael Latzer. Only 21 to 29 percent believe in improvements in this regard. A third of the population rates democratic political influence as neutral. The middle age group believes most strongly in positive effects, the very young and old the least. Overall, confidence in digital democratization in Switzerland has risen slightly since 2011, but remains at a low level.

Not a safe place to express political opinions

For half of the Swiss population, the internet is not a safe place to express political opinions. Half (49%) of the Swiss population (rather) do not believe that it is safe to say what they think about politics on the Internet. Two thirds (63%) of the Swiss population are in favor of free criticism of the government via the Internet. A third (34%) of the population supports unrestricted freedom of expression online, while a slightly larger proportion (39%) rejects extreme expressions of opinion. The most liberal position on freedom of expression online is taken by the middle age groups. "Despite the rise in political and religious extremism in recent years, the attitude of the Swiss population towards extreme expressions of opinion has remained the same," concludes Michael Latzer.

About the World Internet Project

The World Internet Project (WIP) is a comparative long-term study. It records the spread and use of the Internet in 30 countries in an international comparison and analyzes the social, political and economic implications of network development.

The WIP-CH project has been carried out by the Media Change & Innovation department of the Institute of Mass Communication and Media Research (IPMZ) at the University of Zurich under the direction of Prof. Michael Latzer since 2011 and is based on a representative telephone survey of 1,120 people aged 14 and over, which was conducted by Demoscope in May/June 2017. The members of the 2017 project team are Moritz Büchi, Noemi Festic and Natascha Just.

Photo: Pixabay