ISOC's recent worldwide survey of more than 10,000 Internet users in 20 countries revealed online behavior and usage in addition to user attitudes toward privacy and identity, human rights, censorship, and society.
Human rights, censorship and the Internet
Eighty-three percent of respondents agree that access to the Internet should be considered a basic human right, while 89% think that Internet access allows freedom of expression on all subjects, and 86% agree that freedom of expression should be guaranteed. Sixty percent of users agree that Internet access has contributed significantly to civil action and political awareness in their country. A majority of users (98%) consider Internet essential for their access to knowledge and education, while more than 80% think that the Internet plays a positive role for their individual lives as well as society, and nearly 75% of users strongly agree that access to the Internet allows them to seek any information that interests them.
The censorship in the internet seems a highly topical issue with 30% of users agreeing strongly that censorship currently exists on the Internet, while 66% of respondents agree that governments in countries with no Internet censorship have a responsibility to keep the entire Internet free of censorship. More than 70% of users think that more government involvement would make the Internet too controlled or would limit access to the content, with more than two-thirds of respondents agreeing that increased government control would inhibit the growth of the Internet and/or stifle innovation.
Online privacy
Even when users know they are sharing personal data with a site or service, most users (80%) do not always read privacy policies and a significant fraction (12 percent) of respondents admitted that they never read privacy policies. Of users who logged into online services, only half reported that they logged out, while 19% of respondents were aware of circumstances in which personal data was used in a way they did not expect. The most commonly reported consequences were unsolicited communications, stolen personal data, private data becoming public, impersonation, and financial loss.
Internet and the global economy
Nearly two-thirds of respondents agreed that the Internet would play a significant role in solving global problems, including reducing child mortality (63%), improving maternal health (65%), eliminating extreme poverty and hunger (61%), and preventing human trafficking (69%). An even higher percentage of respondents agreed or agreed strongly that the Internet would increase global trade and economic relationships (81%), improve the quality of education (80%), and improve emergency response during a natural disaster (77%). A majority of respondents felt strongly that the Internet plays a significant role in making improvements to business, science, and technology in areas such as: expanding the availability of goods and services (66%), allowing entrepreneurs to conduct business across all countries (65%), and advancing science and technology and creating a technologically recognized workforce (61%).
Internet usage
Respondents nearly universally (96%) indicated they access the Internet at least once a day. More than 90 percent of Internet users surveyed globally indicated they use social media, with a majority (60 percent) using it daily, an increase of 10 percent over 2011. Connection speed (73%) and reliability (69%), as well as affordable monthly fees (68%) and content in the users' local language (50%) were among factors that would increase usage. Other factors included more online availability of government and/or community services (49 percent).
This year, the survey questionnaire engaged 10,789 Internet users in 20 countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Kenya, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, UAE, and the United States. Of the respondents, 53 percent were male and 47 percent were female.
