Many Germans are concerned about their own online behavior. This is revealed by a new survey commissioned by the consulting firm EY. The Funke media group newspapers report on this.
According to the survey, nearly a third of Germans (34 percent) are now thinking about the potential negative consequences of their digital habits when using smartphones, tablets, and computers. Compared to other countries, Germans are still relatively worry-free. The global average is 38 percent, with only Swedish users (28 percent) being less concerned about their internet consumption than Germans.
In Italy (44 percent), Spain, and Canada (both 42 percent), more people question their online behavior in relation to their health. Alarming: more than a third of Germans (35 percent) said they would rather watch short internet videos than meet with friends. Half of the respondents (51 percent) in Germany find this so worrying that they set limits on their internet use as a reaction. Only in Canada (54 percent) and the US (53 percent) is this value higher, with the global average being 43 percent.
Already, the majority of citizens are dissatisfied and think the state should do more against harmful content in the internet (57 percent) and “fake news” (53 percent). The consequence, but possibly also a sign of growing media competence: more than half of the respondents (52 percent) in Germany say they often doubt the authenticity of online content. Almost six out of ten respondents (58 percent) in Germany are concerned that applications from the field of artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to spread negative or harmful content in the internet.
Many Germans still believe it is possible to protect their user data when using internet-enabled devices from unauthorized access, but only about a quarter of the respondents (24 percent) believe this. However, many internet users in Germany still see the positive sides: nearly half of the respondents (49 percent) say their social life would suffer without access to the internet. Only a quarter of the respondents (25 percent) disagree with this statement.
For the “Digital Household Study” by the auditing and consulting firm EY, 20,000 people were surveyed worldwide, with 1,000 of them in Germany.