Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Italians Adore Cell Phones and TV but Lag Behind Europe in Internet

The ANNOTICO Report

Italians love mobiles and TV because they're immediate and verbal. Anything else is just too complicated for many Italians.

They lag behind in the Internet because Italy's population is one of the OLDEST in Europe, and because the general level of EDUCATION in Italy is still lower than France, Germany, Spain or Britain.

Italians Love TV But Shun Internet

The Urge to Chat Makes Them Europe's Top Cell Phone users

ANSA - Rome,

November 1, 2006 

Italians continue to adore their mobile phones but, still shy of computers, they lag behind the rest of Europe on Internet use, according to data presented this week by research institute Censis .

The report, which looked at the use of communications media in Europe, also found that traditional television is practically the only source of information about the outside world for many Italians .

"They love mobiles and TV because they're immediate and verbal. Anything else is just too complicated for many Italians, especially the older ones," said Censis researcher Raffaele Pastore .

Some 79% of Italians use cell phones habitually, more than in France, Germany, Spain or Britain, the four other countries studied by Censis .

"They don't care about the cost. They just have this burning desire to be in constant contact with lots of people," Pastore said .

One of things cell phones have in their favour is that they are ge! nerally simple to use, for anyone of any age. This is what is holding the country back on the Internet front. Although the number of Italians logging on is rising rapidly, it is still only 38% of the population. It is 61% in Britain and 54% in Germany .

There are two reasons for Italy's wariness of cyberspace, research shows. One is that the general level of education in Italy is still lower than in the other countries examined. Internet users tend to have been to university .

The other reason is that Italy's population is one of the oldest in Europe .

"Above a certain age people just don't want to have anything to do with computers or Internet," Pastore said. "Partly because they don't feel any need and partly because they're scared of the technology" .

The Censis research showed that, in general, Italians tend to rely on fewer types of information media than their peers elsewhere in Europe .

In both Britain and Italy, for example, practical! ly all the population watches TV news regularly. But in Britain 80% listen to the radio as well, 78% read newspapers, 75% read books. In Italy 63% listen to the radio, 59% read papers and 55% read books .

Maria Iannucci, a 72-year-old pensioner from a town in southern Italy, is typical of Italians and their relationship with communications media .

She rarely reads a newspaper and will have nothing to do with Internet. This is partly because she and her husband have no computer. She reads books every now and then and sometimes listens to the radio, but prefers television. "Having a mobile is very reassuring. I know I can always get in touch with my family. I also like the TV because it's company for me and my husband," she said. "I don't really need anything else" .

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