27 Sept 2004
New Survey on ICT usage and attitudes to the Information Society
in the Tampere Region
The study examines the rate of use and user experiences of
domestic technologies, i.e. the computer, the Internet and the
mobile phone in the Region of Tampere. The research was based on a
survey conducted in the summer 2004. The sample size was 2 000
people. The sampling was carried out at the Population Register
Centre as stratified two-phase sampling. The quality and
representativeness of the sample is scientifically satisfactory.
Based on the data, it is possible to sketch three groups of
technology users. The first and in terms of technology use probably
the most active group consists of upper secondary school graduates
with a high professional education below the age of fifty. This
group experiences information technology as a tool for work and uses
it primarily for work related needs. Activities related to free time
and the maintenance of social relationships also form a part of
technology use, but the most important role of technology lies
clearly in the organisation of work related functions. The members
of this group are slightly more likely to live in town/city centres
or in suburban areas. The stereotypical representatives of the
second, more passive group can be seen to constitute ageing persons
with a lesser education and no current employment. One to three
groups can be construed in the area between the active and the
passive group. Intuitive interpretation of these groups, however,
becomes problematic due to the numerous overlaps, dependencies and
interactive relationships between them.
Information and communication technologies have introduced many
practical changes in people’s lives. Compared to the discussions
that took place at the turn of the century, rather than huge
transitions from one era to another, these changes are marked by
increasing the efficiency of day-to-day actions. For active users of
technology, the computer, email and WWW sites constitute tools for
work or technologies serving work-related tasks. Work-orientation,
increasingly hectic lifestyles and the emphasis on the individual
are in a central position in many people’s views of the information
society. In other words, the information society is viewed as a
“work society”, characterised by insecurity of work carried out in
the form of projects. Only 15% of the respondents disagreed with the
statement concerning the increase of insecurity in working life.
According to the findings, the barrier between work and home remains
solidly intact for most people in the Tampere Region. Some 70% of
the respondents report no blurring in the line between work and free
time in their life. Yet, 40% of the respondents saw themselves as
busier than they were three years ago. It seems that the busy
lifestyle and individuality linked to the information society are
particularly prominent in working life. The traditional boundaries
between home and work and the still today low number of teleworkers
indicate slowness of change and the rigidity of societal structures
and ways of operating. The more the production structure moves
toward knowledge intensive expert work, the more likely we are to
witness an increase in the practice of telework.
On the basis of our report, we can make the following
recommendations for actors on both regional and national level of
public administration. First, some 20% of the respondents were
willing to participate in free training in the use of the new
technologies. The need for training was especially prominent among
older people and those with a lower level of education. Regionally,
the need for education was more pronounced among people living in
rural areas. Viewed by type of organisation, it was the employees of
the municipal sector that were the most willing to participate in
free training. Based on this finding, it might be useful for the
municipal sector to carry out a systematic evaluation of their
employees’ need for further training in this field.
Second, public service providers might benefit from further
developing of their feedback systems and the information content of
their web services. More than a fourth of respondents using the
Internet perceive their opportunities for using the online services
of public administration as fairly or very poor. The majority of
those deeming their chances of using online public services as very
poor also experience their general opportunities for using the
Internet as poor. Some 60% agreed with the statement according to
which public authorities should actively enhance the development of
citizens’ information society related skills.
Third, the development of information society skills is in line with
the general rise in education level. The better the need for
information technology related training is taken into account in
comprehensive education, the more the skill and knowledge level of
the general population will advance. Learning the use of information
and knowledge technologies as a child will promote the capacity to
absorb new skills when older. The importance of teaching ICT skills
is evident in the data. Rising and broadening the general level of
education are essential elements of the development of the
information society. In the end, the most essential thing remains
how to apply the information into practice. This is important
especially if we are to shape the information society towards a
knowledge society. The possibilities to improve human creativity
through technology may remain limited, but in many different fields
technology serves to facilitate the concrete implementation of
creative processes.
Information technology is seen to have potential to enhance a more
equal society. The respondents assessed the possibilities of the
information society to enhance gender equality as good. Its most
central problems were located in its focus on the individual and the
gap between the different age groups. Still, as many as three in
four respondents see the development of the information society as a
factor that functions to improve the lives of the Finnish people in
general. The selection of the information society as one of the four
major political dimensions by the Finnish government appears as a
welcome decision in this respect. The development of the information
society has the firm support of public opinion, at least in the
Tampere Region.
Inkinen, Tommi & Kuru, Päivi (2004). Kansalaiset ja
tietoyhteiskunnan sosiaaliset vaikutukset. Pirkanmaan
tietoyhteiskuntatutkimus 2004. (Citizens and the Social Implications
of the Information Society. Survey of Tampere Region). Reports by
the Information Society Institute 2/2004, 91 pages.
For more
information, please contact: Tommi Inkinen, Senior Researcher
email:
tommi.inkinen@uta.fi
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