For 70% of Italians, digitization improves the quality of life. But 4.3 million are still disconnected and 13.2 million are dealing with slow or malfunctioning home connections. These are the numbers that emerge from the report “The digital life of Italians”, created by Censis in collaboration with Lenovo. The pandemic has accelerated the adoption of technology, creating hybrid modes that could give rise to situations to keep an eye on: 66% of Italians interviewed use the same personal device for work too, with peaks up to 85% among self-employed workers and 72.2% of graduated workers.
Satisfaction with used devices
“Italians derive growing wealth from digital devices, which simplify and improve their lives,” he explained Massimiliano Valerii, General Director of Censis. Of the interviewees, users already online every day, 9 out of 10 say they are satisfied with the devices they use, considered in line with their daily activities. 73% of the sample lives in families in which each member connects with their own instrument, without having to share it, 71.1% has a well-functioning home connection, 67.9% resides in homes where each has a space in to carry out their digital activities. If with the pandemic the percentage of those who use personal devices, smartphones and / or computers grows, even for work, on the other hand it also happens that 26.9% of employees (and 39.8% of executives) employ corporate electronic devices for personal reasons, underestimating the fact that improper use can pose risks to data security and the privacy of workers and companies.
Spending on smartphones and PCs is growing
According to the Censis surveys, between 2007 and 2020 the consumption of Italian families fell by 13%. However, there is a countertrend and it is represented by spending on smartphones and computers. Respectively, these segments have benefited from + 450% and + 89.7% in the last 13 years. “During the economic crisis, Italians concentrated their purchases on basic necessities,” explains Valerii. “But the data show us two sectors that have never experienced slowdowns, that of smartphones and PCs. The reason? These products have become an investment in the future. The feeling is that the Italians have well understood the potential of tools that have gone beyond a single field of use, perfectly integrated into everyone’s individual and working life ». It is no coincidence that the Censis-Lenovo research highlights how nine out of ten users (90.3% of those already online) are happy with the devices they use for their needs. And, with the advent of 5G, the trend may remain constant. Antonello Giacomelli, Agcom Commissioner, points out: «5G opens up new scenarios, in terms of challenges and opportunities. The standard will enable processes and services that will deeply affect personal and collective life, such as remote surgery. The scope of 5G is revolutionary and the Censis investigation with Lenovo does nothing but show a picture that is already well underway, which will further benefit from the funds of the PNRR ».
The hope of an increasingly digital PA
Then there is the great chapter of the relationship with the public administration and the hope that new technologies can improve the relationship with the bureaucracy. 85.3% of citizens hope that in the near future it will be easier to communicate via e-mail with public offices. 85% wish to be able to request documents and certificates online, 83.2% to pay taxes, bulletins and fines quickly and easily while 78.9% expect to receive personalized information via e-mail, sms or WhatsApp messages. A greater simplification that does not reduce attention to data protection: 76.4% would like to know the personal information available to the PA, so as to avoid unnecessary duplication, 75% would like to communicate via certified e-mail in the utmost confidentiality, the 74% would like to be able to access all online services with just one password.