A recent report released by STATEC, the National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies, on ICT in households and among individuals, has shown that the use of social media and the use of cloud technology, is on the rise– 60% of Luxembourg residents aged 16 to 74 used social media networks in 2014.
The most commonly used, by some distance, is Facebook, with 57% of residents claiming to be users. LinkedIn, Google+ and Twitter, on the other hand have a user rate of 8-9% of residents making use of them. Generally, users are found to check and maintain a single social media profile, with 64% claiming to only have one on a single network. Only 36% were reported to have and use multiple social media platforms.
It comes as no surprise that the use is greatest among young people, with 91% of those active on at least one social network, compared to a mere 26% of people aged from 65 to 74.
The main reasons cited for social media use, were maintaining existing relations (82%), renewing/reviving past relations (74%) and sharing photos and videos (57%). Of those who are not participants of social media, 74% justified their ‘absence’, claiming their wish to keep their life ‘private’.
Luxembourg ranked third of the twenty-eight countries in the EU, in cloud technology use, with 37% of its residents aged between 16 and 74, using the online shared storage platform. 50% of those were young people, to 26% of 55 to 74-year olds.
The level of education also seemed to be a determining factor, as 44% of users of the cloud had higher education degrees, while 26% were secondary school graduates, or held no degree whatsoever.
A number of recurring themes were also revealed in the study. In 2014, 96% of households disposed of an internet connection - up six percentage points from 2010 and twenty-six from 2006 – making Luxembourg the European leader in that particular category. The computer remained the number one source of internet access (87%), with the smartphone responsible for 70%.
Online shopping and business also remained a pertinent aspect of internet usage. 74% of residents made online purchases of goods and services last year. This figure has double in a ten-year span (39% only in 2005). Among the most common purchases, were holiday-related ones, including accommodation (45%), travel - flights and car rentals for example (39%). Books and magazines were also common acquisitions (44%). Luxembourg is fourth in purchases via internet in Europe.
Moreover, the national study found that 61% of internet users had at some point, downloaded official administrative forms online.
