A portrait of today's European Information Society
The number of Internet users in Europe doubled in just one year between 1997 and 1998, according to the Eurobarometer survey: 'Measuring Information Society 1998'. The survey shows a growing interest among European citizens in new information technology (IT) applications, although a strong North South divide was revealed in terms of access to and interest in information technologies. Over 8.3 % of private households in the EU, an estimated 27 million people, have Internet access, compared with 4.4 % in 1997. However the survey shows significant disparities between the North and South. In Sweden Internet access stands at 39.6 % compared to only 2.9 % in Greece. And an average of 13.3% of Europeans use the Internet at work. Personal computers feature in 30.8 % of European homes. Sweden tops the list again with 59.8 % usage, compared to 12.2 % in Greece. Mobile telephones have been adopted by 30.2 % of Europeans, the main users being Finland (64.4 %) and Sweden (60.3 %). A high level of interest was shown in on-line contacts with municipal administrations, in particular the possibility of accessing and downloading administrative documents. On-line travel booking, health advice, electronic job searches, tele-learning and on-line purchasing were among the favourite services, with only 11 % interested in on-line contacts with politicians. However there was a substantial percentage who showed little interest in Internet services. Of the people who responded 55 % said they saw no need for such services in their private lives, 24.2 % considered the services too expensive, 21.5 % do not have the right equipment and 18.2 % said they found it too complicated.