New Survey Data about the Information Society in Portugal 2008

The data include the Results of 2008 surveys regarding ICT in public administration obtained from 3 surveys carried out by Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC) from September to November 2008 and published for the first time on 30 December 2008, concerning the use of ICT in Central Government, in Regional Government, and in Local Authorities. These also include the results of the surveys carried out in 2008 in cooperation with the INE – the National Statistics Institute and Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC) on the use of ICT by families, the use of ICT in companies and the use of ICT in hospitals, carried out in the first quarter of 2008 and for which INE has already published partial summaries, although this is the first global publication of the data from these surveys. They also include data concerning electronic communications obtained from ANACOM concerning the third quarter of 2008 and data concerning ICT training in higher education in 2008 obtained by GPEARI, at the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education.

The batch of published data will provide an impressively complete overview of the state of play regarding Portugal’s progress in the Information Society. The following data is of note:

1. Concerning Families
   • 91%, 87% and 26% of people (16 to 74 years old) with, respectively, higher education, secondary or nine years or fewer of schooling, use the Internet. In these areas Portugal is placed in 10th, 5th and 19th place, respectively in the EU27, and for people with secondary education, only below the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France and Sweden.  The figures for this data for Portugal are higher than European Union (EU) averages for people with higher education and secondary education, given that these averages are 89& and 67%, respectively, with the latter showing a significant difference.
   • 92%, 90% and 30% of people (16 to 74 years old) with, respectively, higher education, secondary or nine years or fewer of schooling, use computers. Portugal in placed in 10th, 5th and 19th place, respectively, for these figures in the EU27. In 2005 the corresponding figures were 90%, 86% and 24%. The figures for this data for Portugal are higher than European Union (EU) averages for people with higher education and secondary education, given that these averages are 91% and 71%, respectively, with the latter showing a significant difference.
   • 97% and 98% of students use, respectively, the Internet and computers, figures higher than the average for the European Union, which are 94% and 96%, respectively. These figures are the results of an efficacious Programmeme to introduce the Internet and computers into schools, after Portugal had been one of the pioneering countries in Europe to introduce the Internet into all schools in 2001, as well as being one of the pioneering countries in Europe in establishing broadband connections in all schools in 2006.
   • 70% of individuals who use the Internet state that they use it every day, or almost every day, up 20% on 2005.
   • 39% of households have broadband Internet connections. The number of households with broadband has doubled since 2005.
   • The activities carried out by most users on the Internet are communication, interaction and placing content – electronic mail (85%), chats, messenger and the like (63%) –, searching for information on goods and services (81%), searching the Internet for learning purposes (78%), searching for information concerning education or training (55%), searching for information on health (51%), downloading/reading newspapers and magazines (48%), downloading/listening to music (42%), listening/watching radio/TV (41%), obtaining information about Public Administration bodies (36%), searching for information which leads to offline purchases (36%), downloading software (34%), online banking/home banking (32%).
   • The greatest increases in Internet use from 2005 to 2008 can be seen in: Telephone/videoconferencing (which more than doubled since 2005), growth in blogs (growth of 70% since 2005), searching for information on health (growth of 64% since 2005).
   • 68% of people use the ATM Multibanco Cash point facility. E-commerce transactions via the ATM Multibanco Network carried out by individuals, include crediting their mobile phone accounts (79%), buying tickets for shows (8%); buying bus/train tickets, etc. (7%).  ATM Multibanco Cash point users also use the service to carry out various types of payment: utility service payments such as water, light, telephone, cable TV, etc. (62%); orders carried out in another manner than the Internet (e.g. catalogue purchases (25%); payments to the State (36%).
   • E-commerce carried out through the ATM Multibanco Cash point Network (by more than 54% of individuals and 79% of Multibanco users) considerably exceeds orders or purchases made through Internet pages. In fact, these are carried out by only 6% of individuals, even though this figure increased by 73% since 2005, and although 34% of individuals (81% of Internet users) search the Internet for information on goods and services.
2. Regarding Electronic communications
   • Penetration of Mobile Telephone services within the population is at a figure of 137%.
   • In the 3rd quarter of 2008, the figure for broadband Internet access penetration reached 35% (more than quadrupling since the end of 2004), 15% using physically fixed connections (approximately doubling since the end of 2004) and 20% for mobile connections (around 20 times greater than at the end of 2005). The increase in clients for mobile broadband exploded from 2005 to 2008.
   • As regards the penetration of the population for fixed broadband within the EU27, Portugal is the 8th country with connections greater or equal to 2 Mbps (15%) and 5th for connections greater or equal to 10 Mbps (3.3%) (data from the 2nd quarter of 2008).
3. As far as the use of ICT by small, medium and large companies is concerned, and excluding the financial sector, it should be noted that:
   • 96% of companies have computers, a figure which rises to 100% for medium and large companies.
   • 92% of companies have access to the Internet, with 81% having broadband (a growth of 23% since 2005). These numbers increased, respectively, to 99% and 90% for medium-sized companies, and to 100% and 97% for large companies.
   • The growth of companies with broadband connections was particularly high in the Construction and Processing Industry Sectors, with growths in these since 2005 of 81% and 45%, respectively.  
   • 75% of companies use the Internet to interact with the State, corresponding to an increase of 28% since 2005, which places Portugal considerably above the EU average.
   • 68% of companies fill in and send online forms to the State.  Portugal lies in 5th place in the EU27 in this regard, with a figure much higher than the EU27 average of 50%.
   • 35% of companies use the Internet or other electronic networks to carry out and/or receive orders, a growth of 35% since 2005. The figures for medium-sized and large companies which use the Internet or other electronic networks to carry out and/or receive orders rose to 41% and 59%, respectively.
   • Portugal is in 6th place of the EU27 concerning companies which receive orders online (19%), more than double that of 2005.
4. Regarding companies within the financial sector it should be noted that:
   • 99% of companies within the financial sector use computers, and 98% have broadband Internet connections (up from 89% in 2005).
   • The percentage of companies within the financial sector with staff who regularly work part-time outside their facilities and access the IT facilities of the company from this location rose 54% from 2005 to 2008.
   • 91% of companies use the Internet to interact with the State (the figure was 86% in 2005).
5. As for micro-companies (companies with fewer than 10 employees) the following growths from 2005 to 2008 are of note:
   • Growth of 21% in micro-companies which use computers (now 64% of the total).
   • Growth of 41% in micro-companies connected to the Internet (now 55% in total).
   • Growth of 76% in micro-companies with broadband connections (now 44% of the total).
   • Growth of 71% in micro-companies using the Internet to interact with the State (now 36% in total).
   • Growth of 78% in micro-companies with an Internet presence (now 16% in total).
   • Growth of 75% in micro-companies which use the Internet or other electronic networks to carry out and/or receive orders for goods and/or services (now 14% in total).
6. Regarding Hospitals
   • 97% of hospitals have Internet connections, almost all broadband (95%), with 60% with bandwidths greater than or equal to 2 Mbps (an increase of 59% regarding 2006 and increasing more than 7 times since 2004).
   • 45% of the hospitals make purchases through the Internet, 31% more than in 2006.
   • In the hospital services made available on the Internet, the main expansion achieved from 2004 to 2008 has been the following: an almost doubling in the availability of information concerning health care and prevention (now available at 42% of the sites), 3.7 times more information concerning procedures in the event of a medical emergency (now provided at 27% of the sites), an increase of 72% in the availability of tables of fees for services provided (now available at 19% of the sites).
   • 18% of hospitals with Internet access allow in-patient access to the Network.
   • 19% of hospitals have telemedicine, mainly telediagnostics and teleappointments.
7. Regarding Central Government
   • All Central Government bodies use Internet Connections. 93% at speeds greater than or equal to 512 Kbps (an increase of 27% since 2005) and 75% greater than or equal to 2 Mbps (double that of 2005).
   • 92% of the Central Government bodies have a presence on the Internet (94% of the bodies with 50 to 249 employees and 100% of bodies with more than 250 employees).
   • Out of the various Internet activities carried out by Central Government bodies, there have been particularly significant increases since 2005 in the following:
     • Interaction with Other CG Bodies to establish Greater Efficiency in Dealing with Users – A Single Service Desk (an eight fold increase, now 24% of the bodies);
     • Activities involving Cooperation or Sharing of Resources (a six fold increase, now 30% of the bodies);
     • Consultation of Supply Catalogues (a five fold increase, now 80% of the bodies);
     • External Communication with Companies (a three fold increase, now 79% of the bodies);
     • External Communication with Companies (almost a  three fold increase, now 77% of the bodies);
     • External Communication with Other Bodies (2.5 times greater, now 89% of the bodies).
   • The most widely available services on Central Government websites on the Internet are: information (regarding the entity itself – 98%, regarding the services provided – 95%, legislation – 91%), electronic mail (98%), forms available for downloading (74%), access to databases (60%), free availability of goods or services in a digital format (52%), availability of forms to be filled in and submitted online (50%), job vacancies/employment opportunities (31%).
   • The services made available in Central Government Bodies on the Internet which had the greatest increases between 2005 and 2008 were:
     • Improving User Satisfaction Levels (doubled, now at 24% for the entities);
     • User Support (doubled, now at 54% for the entities);
     • Job Vacancies - Employment Opportunities (increased 72%);
     • Availability Online of Forms to Fill in and Submit (increased 39%).
   • 48% and 27% of the Central Government bodies carried out, respectively, orders and payments for orders (this was twice and two and a half times more than in 2005, respectively).
   • 29%, 33% and 39% of the Central Government bodies use open source software for operating systems, Internet services and other types of applications, respectively.
   • In the area of computer security, there was an increase of 48% from 2005 to 2008 in terms of the use of safe servers and 44% in the use of anti-spam filters, rising to a percentage of Central Government bodies with these services reaching 59% and 88%, respectively.
8. Regarding Regional Government  
   • All Regional Government Bodies have an Internet connection. The bodies of the Autonomous Regions of Madeira and the Azores which have Internet connection speeds greater than or equal to 512 Kbps, are 77% and 78%, respectively, and those with speeds greater than or equal to 2 Mbps are 59% and 42%, respectively, a three fold and more than eight fold increase, respectively, with regard to 2005.
   • The bodies of the Autonomous Regions of Madeira and the Azores which have an Internet presence are 91% and 93%, respectively.
   • Out of the various Internet activities carried out by Regional Government bodies, there have been particularly significant increases between 2005 and 2008 in the following:
     • Consultation of Supply Catalogues (this has more than quadrupled in Madeira and there has been an increase greater than 11 times in the Azores, to now reach 52% and 56% of bodies, respectively);
     • Activities involving Cooperation or the Sharing of Resources (a more than six fold increase in Madeira and almost a five fold increase in the Azores, to involve 32% and 24% of bodies, respectively);
     • Interaction with Other CG Bodies to establish Greater Efficiency in Dealing with Users – A Single Service Desk (more than two and a half times greater in Madeira and almost six times greater n the Azores, to now involve 41% and 29% of the bodies, respectively);
     • External Communication with Citizens (more than three and a half times greater than it was in 2005, now in 78% of the bodies in both of the regions);
     • External Communication with Companies (a more than three fold increase, now involving around 80% of the bodies);
   • Orders made through the Internet are carried out by 2% of the bodies in Madeira and by 20% in the Azores.
   • The use of open source software by the Regional Government for operating systems, Internet services and other types of applications is, respectively, 10%, 7% and 20% in the Azores and 21%, 14% and 29% in Madeira.
9. Regarding the Municipal Authorities
   • All Municipal Authorities have internet connections, 96% with speeds greater than or equal to 512 Kbps, and 84% with connections greater than or equal to 2 Mbps, more than double than in 2005.
   • In Municipal Authorities, the Internet is essentially used for searching and communication activities: electronic mail (99%), searching and obtaining information/documentation (98%), electronic exchange of files (96%), external communication with other municipalities, Parish Councils and Central Government bodies (83%), dealing directly with Citizens (71%).
   • The activities which have increased the most since 2005 have been the following:
     • eProcurement (two and a half times more than in 2005, now in 35% of Municipalities);
     • Sale of Goods and Services (increase of 58%, now in 19% of Municipalities).
   • 99% of Local Authorities have an Internet presence.
   • The main services provided on the Local Authority websites are the following: electronic mail (84%); downloading and printing forms (83%); subscription to Internet newsletters (58%, which is 81% more than in 2005); public consultation through the Internet (54%, which is 50% more than in 2005); Internet surveys of citizens (34%, which is 31% more than in 2005); completion and submission of online forms (31%, an increase of 48% since 2005); requests to collect rubbish and street cleaning (26%); monitoring cases involving private construction work (24%); discussion forums between senior  members of the municipality and local citizens (15%, which is 50% more than in 2005).
   • Local Authorities use open source software for 50%, 39% and 53%, respectively, for operating systems, Internet servers and other types of applications.
   • 28% of Local Authorities carry out orders through the Internet, more than double that of 2005.