Module 5b: Measuring Household ICT Ms Sheridan Roberts, Consultant Information Society Statistics Tuesday 10 March 2009

2 Presentation outline What is household ICT statistically? Short history of household ICT measurement Aspects of measuring household ICT Aspects applying to household surveys generally Statistical standards for ICT Practical issues for ICT statistics Group work exercise: discussion of policy relevant household ICT indicators for Egypt

3 What is household ICT statistically? Household ICT statistics (or ICT household statistics) distinguish ICT access and ICT use. ICT access is the availability of ICTs within the home, typically: – Access to different ICTs (radio…mobile phone...Internet) – Method of access (e.g. devices used to access Internet, access services - narrowband/broadband Internet) – Cost of access (expenditure on ICT) – Barriers to access

4 What is household ICT statistically? ICT use is use of ICT by individuals, whether at home or elsewhere, usually over a set period, typically: – Use of different ICTs (typically computer, Internet, mobile phone) – Frequency, recency of use (typically computer, Internet) – Activities and purposes of use (typically computer, Internet) – Method of access (e.g. mobile Internet access) – Location of use (typically Internet) – IT security (prevention, incidents) – Barriers to use (general or particular, e.g. Internet purchasing) – Other topics (attitudes, substitution effects, plans) Impacts of ICT access and use

5 Information society conceptual framework

6 Short history of measurement Some NSOs started to measure household ICT in early 1990s OECD and Eurostat work on model surveys started late 1990s Release of first OECD model survey 2002 (revised 2005) Release of first Eurostat survey results for 2001 Release of core list of ICT indicators (Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development) 2005 ITU started an annual survey of member countries 2005 Release of first Eurostat Methodological Manual 2006 Revision of Partnership’s core list of ICT indicators 2008 ITU Manual for Measuring Access to, and Use of, Information and Communication Technology by Households and Individuals 2009

7 Aspects of measurement Aspects applying to household surveys generally – Most of the features of household ICT measurement are those of household measurement more generally. Statistical standards for ICT – Concepts and definitions – Scope – Units – Classificatory variables – Indicators and model questions Practical issues for ICT statistics

8 Household surveys generally Most of the features of household ICT measurement are those of household measurement more generally. International standards, e.g. – UNSD (methodology, census standards) – ILO (ISCO and ICSE) – UNESCO (ISCED) – IHSN – World Bank (LSMS) Survey planning – Purpose – Interests of stakeholders (user consultation and ongoing mechanisms, respondents) – Budget and funding (may impose constraints) – Decisions on survey implementation and processing – Survey timeframe Staff selection and training

9 Household surveys generally Survey implementation – Statistical standards – Topics and data – Survey scope and units – Survey vehicle – Data collection – Questionnaire design – Sample design – Data processing Dissemination and other post survey processes

10 Statistical standards for household ICT Concepts – ICT access and use – Time characteristics Scope – Age and household scope Units – Household – Individual Classifications – Household characteristics – Individual characteristics – Cross-classification – Policy relevant national classifications Indicators and model questions – Partnership core indicators and model questions – Policy relevant national indicators

11 Core indicators on access to/use of ICT by households and individuals (Partnership, 2008) Source: ITU training course on measuring access to, and use of ICT, by households and individuals

12 Core indicators (continued)

13 Core indicators (continued)

14 Core indicators (continued)

15 Practical issues for ICT statistics 1 Difficult concepts – Internet access services Technical for respondents and interviewers – Internet activities related to government organizations Defining government entities, common understanding – Internet access using mobile devices Technical – Mobile telephones Questions on access and use, a different concept of use Data editing – Quite specific edits can be applied to household ICT data. – Micro (unit level) e.g. range, consistency – Macro (aggregate level) e.g. change over time, relationships with other indicators 1 Source: ITU Manual for Measuring Access to, and Use of, Information and Communication Technology by Households and Individuals

16 Practical issues for ICT statistics 1 Derivation of the ICT household indicators – There are two types of denominators used to calculate the core indicators – whole population and Internet user populations – Care needs to be taken with denominators so that it is quite clear to users which have been used – Aggregation of categories to match the core indicators needs to be done at record level. Data tabulations – Follow the classificatory variables. 1 Source: ITU Manual for Measuring Access to, and Use of, Information and Communication Technology by Households and Individuals

17 Thank you I would be happy to answer any questions I can be contacted on