Orange and OpinionWay presented their first digital uses observatory which covers digital consumption habits in seven countries: France, Germany, United Kingdom, Spain, United States, Morocco and China. The opportunity to conduct a comparative study of behavior in these different nations. Thus, we see that 14% of French people are completely disconnected from the Internet and any digital media. This leaves 86% of our compatriots who use these famous tools in their daily lives. Among the main lessons that can be drawn from this study, it should be noted that France is not far behind other neighboring countries, although fewer and fewer inhabitants are attracted by technological innovations. 47% of them say they are attracted to products that contain technological innovation, compared to 79% in the United Kingdom.

Another important point: digital inclusion or the generational gap between digital users and non-users. Age is the main factor that characterizes non-digital enthusiasts: those over 65 years of age represent 46%. Finally, the French express their fears, in particular in relation to the protection of personal data, dependence on screens, the weight of fake news…

Discover the 10 surprising and unusual figures that caught our attention.

75%

This is the percentage of people who use the Internet in France and who have at least two digital practices daily. This figure is higher than that of Germany and Spain (both 72%). However, it is much lower than the UK, which shows 90%. Among the main digital users, young people and CSP+ are particularly well represented.

8 out of 10

This is the number of users of digital tools who would like to disconnect from time to time: 77% answered affirmatively to the question: “Have you ever wanted to disconnect from digital tools?” 39% believe they spend too much time on digital tools.

24%

This is the percentage of people who use social networks to look for work. In general terms, the observatory confirms that digital uses in the workplace, training or education are less widespread in France than in Anglo-Saxon countries or even in Spain.

73%

This is the percentage of people who regularly watch television shows on repeat. The consumption of dematerialized content (replay, podcast, subscriptions) is majority and popular among digital users.

7 out of 10

This is the very significant proportion of French people who have already searched for their name on a search engine. But it is much lower than in the United States (89%) or Germany (81%).

42%

This is the percentage of French people who feel ahead of those around them in the use of digital tools. A much smaller proportion of the population than in countries like China, where this figure is 68%. The bad student is Germany, with 39% of people who feel very initiated, compared to 41% who consider themselves backward. The latter represent only 27% in France.

Sixty-five%

This is the percentage of French people who are in favor of banning smartphones at a restaurant table. We regret that the study does not allow us to compare with neighboring countries… And what about the smartphone on the table at home?

26%

This is the percentage of French people who say they have already sent an SMS talking about a person… to this same person.

1 in 5 French

Continuing with the unusual, 22% of those surveyed explain having tripped or hit someone or a pole while checking their smartphone.

61%

This is the “lightest” figure on the list. In France, 61% of respondents oppose the use of a selfie stick. However, in China, only 11% oppose this use. Culture shock?

Observatory methodology: study carried out by telephone from April 3 to 14, 2018 with representative samples of the population aged 15 and over in each country. France: 1,007 people, Germany: 504 people, United Kingdom: 505 people, Spain: 500 people. Study carried out through a self-administered online questionnaire from May 17 to June 6, 2018 with representative samples of digital users from each country. France: 5,009 digital users, Germany: 1,012 digital users, United Kingdom: 1,006 digital users, Spain: 1,088 digital users, United States: 1,007 digital users, China: 1,007 digital users, Morocco: 1,016 digital users.