Digital barometer: the 2022 edition integrates the quality of service experienced by users on fixed and mobile networks, and completes its work on the environmental footprint of digital equipment.
Arcep, the Conseil Général de l'Economie, the Agence Nationale de la Cohésion des Territoires (ANCT) and, as of this year, Arcom - as part of the "Pôle Numérique Commun Arcep - Arcom" - are publishing the results of the Baromètre du Numérique, an annual study carried out by CREDOC[1] on the diffusion of digital equipment and developments in its use.
In 2022, the proliferation of equipment within the household and the development of digital uses will continue.
Connected objects (home automation, electronics, health, security) and connected speakers will continue to show their diffusion in our households: the proportion of owners of this equipment will increase by 7 points compared to 2020, to reach 40% and 27% respectively.
In 2022, 87% of respondents will own a smartphone (+3 points on 2020). Of these, 89% say they will be sending messages using applications offering this service (+10 points on 2020), and 78% will be using them to make phone calls (+11 points). More generally, browsing the Internet from smartphones now concerns 92% of respondents (+5 points on 2020).
Online purchases, which experienced an unprecedented rise in 2020 at the time of the health crisis, are set to continue in 2022: 8 out of 10 people say they have made at least one online purchase during the year (77%, +1 point compared to 2020).
Demanding consumers, but the majority satisfied with the quality of their network services
The proportion of people with a fixed Internet connection at home has stabilized at 85% for several years, and of these, 56% now use access via fiber optics or the cable network (very high speed). The rate of users of fiber networks will have increased significantly by 2022 (+17 points compared with 2020) thanks to the rapid deployment of these networks in 2020 and 2021. The increase in the number of households connected is high, whatever the size of the municipality. However, where you live has an impact on whether or not you are connected to fiber: 72% of respondents living in the Paris metropolitan area are connected to fiber or cable, compared with 34% in rural communities.
By 2022, 85% of them will be satisfied with the services they use on fixed networks. This figure rises to 92% among those surveyed who have a fiber optic contract, and hardly varies according to the size of the municipality.
On mobile networks, service quality is verdict satisfactory by 85% of respondents, whatever their usage. Although differences in satisfaction persist between regions, they are narrowing. 16% of users in rural communities were dissatisfied with the quality of the mobile network when making voice summons, compared with 10% nationwide. However, this share has fallen by almost 10 points compared with the last survey in 2019[2].
After smartphones in 2021, the 2022 edition of the Digital Barometer looks at the environmental footprint of TV sets
Terminals (televisions, smartphones, computers, tablets, etc.) account for 65% to 90% of the environmental impact of digital technology, depending on the indicators considered[3]. After studying the length of ownership and reuse and recycling behavior of smartphones in 2021, the 2022 edition of the Digital Barometer focuses on televisions. In 2022, 95% of respondents said they owned at least one TV set, a proportion that has hardly developed in ten years.
It is also the piece of digital equipment with the largest environmental footprint, not least because of the size of its screen. For this reason, increasing the lifespan of TV sets remains one of the key challenges in the fight agains the environmental impact of digital technology. The results of the Digital Barometer show that there is still room for manoeuvre in this area. Nearly half of all respondents have owned their main TV set for less than five years, which represents a short period of ownership. Only 20% have owned their main set for more than ten years.
What's more, more than half of respondents say they have changed their main TV set while it was still in full or partial working order. Of these, a third had changed to take advantage of a promotional supply, and a third to upgrade. Among main TV sets purchased less than 2 years ago, 30% were renewed while the old one was still working.
This trend towards regular purchases of new TV sets is, however, tempered by efforts to reuse the replaced set: a majority of replaced sets are reused, donated or sold for reconditioning.
Internet access predominates for television, but is a minority for radio access
83% of French people with a TV set and a fixed connection at home say they receive TV via an ISP's box on at least one set. This use is mainly motivated by reception quality (53%), the diversity of services on offer (39%) and direct access to SVOD services (38% ). Conversely, 17% of French people equipped with a TV set and a home Internet connection do not use ISP TV supplies. Two-thirds (66%) say they are satisfied with the DTT channel and service supply. Almost the same proportion (63%) say they are not prepared to pay to watch TV.
While 3 out of 4 French people (75%) listen to the radio, or to audio content such as podcasts or music, either shown live or available on demand, the radio set with FM or DAB+ reception remains the main mode of listening, compared with Internet listening: 65% of listeners listen most often to the radio via this channel, compared with just 35% via the Internet. Satisfaction (75%) and habit (70%) among radio listeners are the main reasons for listening to radio or audio content via the terrestrial network. For 51% of Internet listeners, the main reason for choosing to listen via the Internet is the freedom it offers in terms of content choice and timing.
Half of Internet users have already browsed the terms of service of social networks and video-sharing platforms.
The terms of service of a social network or video-sharing platform have been browsed by 52% of Internet users. Among Internet users who have read the terms of service at least once, 77% indicate that this information is easily accessible. However, only 53% of Internet users who have browsed the terms of service consider them easy to understand.
42% of Internet users have already reported an account or inappropriate content using the schemes set up by social networks or video-sharing platforms. Those who have reported content consider the schemes in place to be easily accessible (87%), simple to use (85%) and easy to understand (80%).
Some reading features that promote digital inclusion are widely used
The accessibility of digital devices is a major challenge for digital inclusion. Some of the features offered by these devices help to improve access to online content. Among the various functions available, brightness adjustment (83%) and screen zoom (80%) are the most widely used by the entire population equipped with a digital terminal, while around 6 out of 10 French people equipped with a digital terminal have already used font size adjustment, contrast enhancement and voice commands. Audiodescription and color inversion are little used, with around a third of French people having used one of these functions. Users of these functionalities are generally under 40 years of age, with voice commands, color inversion and audiodescription being used most frequently by 18-24 year-olds.
To find out more about the "Pôle numérique commun Arcep - Arcom" study
[1] Methodology: carried out by CREDOC (Centre de recherche pour l'étude et l'observation des conditions de vie), this survey is based on a representative sample of 4,184 people aged 12 and over, interviewed by telephone and online. Results for 2022 are compared with those for 2020, the latest comparable figures available.
[2] The satisfaction question was last asked in 2019.
[3] Evaluation de l'impact environnemental du numérique en France et analyse prospective - Note de synthèse réalisée par l'ADEME et l'Arcep (January 19, 2022)
The press release
- 237.25 KB
- in french