0 Administrative Information about the Statistical Product


0.1 Name
Use of the Internet by individuals and households

0.2 Subject Area
Service sector

0.3 Responsible Authority, Office, Person, etc.
Unit Service sector.
Agnes Tassy, telephone: +45 39 17 33 67 , e-mail: ata@dst.dk

0.4 Purpose and History
The purpose of the study is to analyse the access to and use of the Internet, and to follow the development of this. The survey contributes to the illustration of the knowledge based society for the part that concerns the individuals.
Survey questions have been deleted and added from time to time, in order to reflect new aspects and developments.

0.5 Users and Application
The survey is used by counties and ministries, among these the Ministry of Science, Technology and Development. Furthermore, the survey is object of considerable attention from the media, researchers and students. The survey can be used to cover developments in Internet usage. The survey provides significant contribution to Statistics Denmark's coverage of the knowledge society. Finally, the survey is used in both Nordic and European collaboration.

0.6 Sources
The survey is based on telephone interviews supplemented with the possibility of web-based information supply.
Up to and including the 2006 survey, approximately 4.000 interviews were carried out during the months of January to April. From 2007 and onwards, all interviews are carried out in April. The number of interviews was 4.303 in 2009.

0.7 Legal Authority to Collect Data
Participation in the survey is voluntary.

0.8 Response burden
n/a

0.9 EU Regulation
Regulation (EC) No 1031/2006 of the European Parlaiment and of the Council of 4 July 2006 concerning Community statistics on the Information Society
EFT L 186, p. 19


1 Contents


1.1 Description of Contents
This survey is based on a European model questionnaire coordinated by Eurostat (attached below).
The survey covers among other subjects

• access to and use of the Internet and computers at home and at work,
• type of internet connection used,
• type of device used for internet access
• order or purchase of goods and services over the Internet
• motives and obstacles to Internet usage and e-commerce.
• use of advanced internet-services,
• use of mobile internet, etc.

Result are calculated both for the population as a hole and for subgroups divided by sex, age, occupation, type of family etc. A number of questions concerning access are directed at households instead of the individual.

1.2 Statistical Concepts
Units and population.
The unit in the survey are individuals and households resident in Denmark (excl. Greenland and the Faeroe Islands) in the age of 16-74 years, according to The Central Register of Persons (Det Centrale Personregister, CPR). People without registered address in the CPR do not enter into the survey.
The phrase individuals refers in this survey individuals in the age of 16-74 years.
The concept of households until 2007 consist of one or more persons in the age of 16-74 years, who live in the same home and who are in family with each other (among these also cohabiting partners), but there can only be one married couple in the family.
Variables.
Respondents are asked a number of questions re. internet access, type of access, location of access, type and frequency of use, etc. Some of the questions might be related to background information about the respondent.
Statistical measurement.
In publications results are presented as whole percentages.
Classifications.
Several classifications of the respondents are used in publications. Some of these are listed bellow.
Sex
- Men
- Women

Age groups:
- 16-19 years
- 20-39 years
- 40-59 years
- 60-74 years

Education:
- Basic or elementary school
- Secondary or/and vocational school
- Higher education

Type of household
:- Single without children
- Couple without children
- Single with children
- Couple with children


Some figures re. access to personal computers and the Internet at home, are directed to households. These results are divided by type of household and gross income, where type of households are as stated above.


2 Time


2.1 Reference Period
The survey is carried out by telephone interviews. Up until the 2006 survey, the interviews were carried out every month in the period January-April with reference period in the last month and in the last year. From 2007 and onwards all interviews are conducted in April with reference period within the last three months and in the last year.

2.2 Date of Publication
The Populations use of the Internet is published annually in News from Statistics Denmark and Service sector (Statistical News) and annually in Service sector (Statistical News).

The time of publication, that is the time that passes by between the end of the reference period (the end of April) and the date of publication is approximately 50 days.

2.3 Punctuality
The statistics are usually published without delay in relation to the scheduled date.

2.4 Frequency
The statistic is published annually.


3 Accuracy


3.1 Overall accuracy
The survey is based upon simple random selection samples, and the results are therefore subject to statistical uncertainty. For the entire populations access to Internet the uncertainty is limited, since the degree of coverage is high.
Uncertainty reflects variations in the collected data in comparison to the size of the sample. If all persons/families were identical with respect to access to and use of the Internet, then a sample size of 1 would in principle be adequate. The larger differences there are, the larger a sample is necessary to attain limited statistical uncertainty on the figures.
The statistical uncertainty of the shares of persons with access to the Internet at home and/or at work is calculated to ±0.8 per cent for the year 2002, with an interval of confidence of 95 per cent. Uncertainty increases when the access to the Internet is estimated by type of occupation, since these shares are based on a smaller number of interviews. Uncertainty was for instance estimated to ±3.0 per cent for 2002 for the self-employed.
Uncertainty figures for selected questions and subgroups are calculated and showed each time new results are published in the publication Statistical News, Service sector.

3.2 Sources of inaccuracy
Coverage
CoverageUp to the 2006 survey results were based upon approximately 1,000 interviews each month. The coverage of the sample is therefore acceptable and very high for the annual publications 2001-2003 where interviews were held in several months. From 2007 and onwards, the survey is based upon approximately 4,300 completed interviews. Data collection takes place in April every year.

Sample/section
The sample is made by simple random selection from CPR. Up until the 2006 survey, a new sample was drawn every month among a representative section of the Danish population between 16-74 years. 1,000 interviews were carried out each month, from a sample of approximately 1,460 persons. Types of unit non-response are no telephone number for the dwelling unit, refusal and non-contact. In 2007 approximately 3,000 interviews were held in April, from a sample of approximately 4,500 persons. Types of unit non-response are the same as before. The 2009 survey is based on 4.303 completed interviews.

Collection/measuring
Information is collected by telephone interviews. From 2008 it is possible for respondents to choose to supply information va a web-based questionnaire. Background information about the respondents is collected from register information form CPR.

Maintenance of the sample
There are different sources to unit non response, for instance the unavailability of telephone numbers, denial of PersonNameinterviews.

Calculation method
After collecting the data the sample is grouped after for instance sex, age, civil status, family status and gross income. Within each group individual results are multiplied with an individual weight. The weight of person is equal to the number of persons in the CPR and the number of persons in the group. This weight is afterwards further adjusted up and/or down depending on the composition in the enumeration population with a regression estimate. The use of this method adjusts for an uneven loss in the sample.

3.3 Measures on accuracy
There are calculations of uncertainty for chosen questions and chosen groups in all publications in Statistical News, service sector.


4 Comparability


4.1 Comparability over Time
The survey has been carried out since January 2001.Key figures are comparable over time.
The survey replaces the survey Personal computers and access to the Internet (Pc'ere og adgang til internet), carried out from May 1997 to the end of 2000.

4.2 Comparability with other Statistics
Similar surveys are carried out in other EU member states based on the same Eurostat model questionnaire. Results are thus available from all EU countries on Eurostats homepage.
Results might be compared to results from another Danish survey concerning individuals ICT skills (Befolkningens it-færdigheder).

4.3 Coherence between provisional and final statistics
Only final figures are published.


5 Accessibility


5.1 Forms of dissemination
Current publications: News from Statistics Denmark and Service sector (Statistical News)
Yearbooks:Statistical Yearbook, Key Figures on Information Society Denmark and Information Society Denmark.

Statistics Denmark's StatBank Denmark at www.statistikbanken.dk

Nordic Information Society Statistics 2002

5.2 Basic material: Storage and usability
The basic material is stored electronically.

5.3 Documentation
The method and content is more closely described in Statistical News: Service sector 2008:23.

5.4 Other Information
The survey has been developed in cooperation with the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.


Supplementary documentation
Hent bilaget - Model questionnaire 2009