Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Household Survey Background Notes 2016 Introduction The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) household survey covers a range of topics related to the use of ICT by households and individuals. The ICT questionnaire focuses on the use of ICT for non‐work related activities. The survey was conducted in the 1st Quarter of 2016 and asked respondents about their ICT activities over the previous 12 months. Each year, the survey includes a specific group of questions relating to a particular area of ICT. In 2016, additional questions relating to the Security and Privacy were included. Reference Period A module on Information Communication Technology (ICT) is included in the Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS) in the three months from January to March each year (Quarter 1). The questionnaire asks questions about ICT activities for the reference period of twelve months prior to the interviews taking place. Purpose of Survey The annual ICT Household survey by the QNHS contributes to the EU requirement under Regulation (EC) No 808/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 April 2004 concerning Community statistics on the Information Society (OJ L143, 30.04.2004, p. 49). The QNHS began in September 1997, replacing the annual April Labour Force Survey (LFS). The purpose of the survey is the production of quarterly labour force estimates and occasional reports on special social topics. The ICT Household questionnaire is conducted in Quarter 1 as part of the QNHS. The annual ICT household survey is one of the special module subjects that make up the ad‐hoc module surveys appended onto the main QNHS Labour Force Survey. Summary of Survey Methodology The sampling frame is the CSO’s Census of population updated and adjusted for net migration. Beginning in Q4 2012, a new sample based on the 2011 Census of Population was introduced incrementally and this sample was fully in effect as of Quarter 4 2013. A two‐stage sample design is used using a GEO directory (register of households) as the basic sample frame. A new sample was introduced in Quarter 4 2012 as a result
of the 2011 Census of Population. The sample frame of households is clustered into blocks (small areas) with each block containing 60 occupied households on the night of the 2011 Census of Population. The sample frame is stratified using administrative county and population density. In the first stage 1,300 blocks are selected using Probability Proportional to Size (PPS) sampling and in the second stage 20 households are selected using Simple Random Sampling (SRS). This ensures that each household in the sample frame has an equal probability of selection and results in a total quarterly sample of 26,000 households. The actual achieved sample varies over time depending on the level of response. Households are asked to take part in the survey for five consecutive quarters and are then replaced by other households in the same block. Thus, one fifth of the households in the survey are replaced each quarter and the QNHS sample involves an overlap of 80% between consecutive quarters and 20% between the same quarter in consecutive years. As the new sample based on the 2011 Census of Population will be introduced incrementally across each quarter from Q4 2012 to Q4 2013, the new sample will not be fully effective until Q4 2013.The survey results are weighted to agree with population estimates broken down by age, sex and region and are also calibrated to nationality control totals. The population estimates for April of each year are published in a separate release. Grossing The QNHS grossing procedure aligns the distribution of persons covered in the survey with independently determined population estimates at the level of sex, five‐year age group and region. Statistical Significance All estimates based on sample surveys are subject to error, some of which is measurable. Where an estimate is statistically significantly different from another estimate, it means that we can be 95% confident that differences between those two estimates are not due to sampling error. Unless otherwise stated, changes and differences mentioned in the text have been found to be statistically significant at the 95% confidence level. Survey Questionnaire The ICT household questionnaire contains a wide variety of questions relating to the interaction of ICT with individuals in households. The survey is carried out across all member countries of the EU28. Each national country designs its own survey, using a template questionnaire issued by Eurostat. The national version of the
questionnaire is modified to allow the information to be gathered in face‐to‐face interviews (CAPI ‐ Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing) within the QNHS framework instead of using a paper‐based survey. National results are transmitted to Eurostat annually and subsequently published by Eurostat in December of each year. The 2016 ICT household questionnaire is available at the following link: http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/qnhs/documents/ICThouse2016.pdf Glossary of Terms Internet: Relates to IP‐based networks: www, Extranet over the Internet, EDI over the Internet and Internet‐enabled mobile phones. Access at home refers to the dwelling unit where the household/individual has its address. Website: Location on the World Wide Web identified by a Web address. A collection of Web files on a particular subject that includes a beginning file called a homepage. Information is encoded with specific languages (HTML, XML, Java) readable with a Web browser, like Netscape’s Navigator or Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. Broadband: High‐speed, always‐on internet access running with a speed greater than 128 Kbps. It is able to carry very large amounts of information. Digital Subscriber Line (DSL): DSL Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) is a family of technologies that provide digital data transmission over the wires of a local telephone network. DSL service is delivered simultaneously with regular telephone on the same telephone line as it uses a higher frequency band. A DSL line can carry both data and voice signals and the data part of the line is continuously connected. DSL technologies are designed to increase bandwidth available over standard copper telephone wires. Includes IDSL, HDSL, SDSL, ADSL, RADSL, VDSL, DSL‐Lite and xDSL. Modem: Device that converts outgoing digital signals from a computer to analogue signals which can be transmitted via a conventional copper telephone line and which converts incoming analogue signals to digital. Electronic Commerce (e‐Commerce): Transactions conducted over IP (Internet Protocol) based networks and over other computer mediated networks. The goods and services are ordered over those networks, but the payment and ultimate delivery of the goods or service may be conducted on or offline. Orders received via telephone, facsimile and non‐interactive e‐mails are not counted as e‐commerce. Online Payment: An online payment is an integrated order‐payment transaction.
Social Media: Use of social media includes the following: Social networks e.g. Facebook, Linkedln, Xing, Viadeo, Yammer, etc Blogs or microblogs e.g. Twitter Multimedia content shared websites e.g. YouTube, Flickr, Picassa, SlideShare Wiki based knowledge sharing sites e.g. Wikipedia.
Classifications Used Urban/Rural Location: The country is divided up into 8 strata based on population density. These areas are further classified into urban and rural areas as follows: Urban • Cities • Suburbs of cities • Mixed urban/rural areas bordering on the suburbs of cities • Towns and their environs with populations of 5,000 or over (large urban) • Mixed urban/rural areas bordering on the environs of larger towns • Towns and their environs with a population of 1,000 to 5,000 (other urban) Rural • Mixed urban/rural areas • Rural areas NUTS2 and NUTS3 Regions: The regional classifications in this release are based on the NUTS (Nomenclature of Territorial Units) classification used by Eurostat. The NUTS3 regions correspond to the eight Regional Authorities established under the Local Government Act, 1991 (Regional Authorities) (Establishment) Order, 1993, which came into operation on 1 January 1994. The NUTS2 regions, which were proposed by Government and agreed by Eurostat in 1999, are groupings of the NUTS3 regions.
Principal Economic Status (PES): Results are also available using the Principal Economic Status (PES) classification which was used in the Labour Force Survey and the Census of Population. The PES classification is based on a single question in which respondents are asked what is their usual situation with regard to employment and given the following response categories: • At work • Unemployed • Student • Engaged on home duties • Retired • Other QNHS Social Modules While the main purpose of the QNHS is the production of quarterly labour force estimates, there is also a provision for the collection of data on social topics through the inclusion of special survey modules. The selection of the major national modules undertaken to date has been largely based on the results of a canvass of users (over 100 organisations) that was conducted by the CSO in 1996, 2002, 2006, 2008 and most recently 2011. The results of the canvass are presented to the National Statistics Board and they are asked to indicate their priorities for the years ahead. The schedule for social modules in any given year is based on the following structure: Quarter 1 Accidents and Illness module and Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) Survey Quarter 2 EU module (always covered under EU legislation) Quarter 3 National module Quarter 4 National module
Member States of the EU28 Austria Belgium Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Ireland Italy Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Netherlands Poland Portugal Romania Slovakia
Slovenia Spain Sweden United Kingdom