Use of technology

Only minority of 25% (40 respondents in total) indicated their use of technology or smartphone had changed since the last interview, about a month ago. This is a drop from the average 40% of respondents that reported change during the previous interviews. 

While men had reported a changed use of technology in far bigger numbers than women in previous interviews, now both men and women show identical results.

The considerable difference between the treatment and control groups on this topic that was shown in the previous interviews, has persisted. While 32.5% of the treatment group said their use of technology had changed, only 17% of the control group said the same.

During previous interviews, respondents had predominantly reported more use of their smartphone (when they reported a change in their use), but now an equal number or respondents reported less use, for both groups and genders. As during previous interviews, there is a disconnect for a sizeable group of respondents between the answers to question T1 and T3: people respondent no change in their use for question T1 more often than for question T3.

Again, for question T3 both men and women report the same kind of changes in almost equal proportions. And again, this is a deviation from previous interviews, when men reported "more" use of their smartphone in greater proportions than women. Now, women report using their phones more in slightly higher proportions.

The differences on this topic between the treatment and control groups that existed throughout previous interviews is also less clear now: although a greater proportion of the control group than of the treatment group reports "no change" in their smartphone use, both groups now show an equal proportion of respondents reporting "more" use and "less" use. During previous interviews treatment group respondents reported "more" use in considerable higher proportions.

The respondents that reported "more" use as well as those that reported "less" use were asked about the reason for this. (The answers were coded and split up in separate columns T4.1 and T4.2)

The respondents reporting "more" use, predominantly spent this extra time on social media (mostly chatting) or browsing online. The most common reason given by respondents reporting "less" use was that they did not have access to a smartphone, but battery problems and a lack of time due to school or work were also mentioned often.

Issues with technology

While there is quite a variety in the types of problems encountered by the respondents while using their smartphones, most of them relate to the performance of the phone itself (or the network it uses).

Battery problems, a slow or hanging phone, a broken phone screen or storage problems are mentioned often. Similarly, network problems are an important issue encountered by the respondents.

An obvious issue, the cost of using the phone, was being mentioned by only 9 respondents. This is a relatively low number, making up less than 6% of all respondents. (During the previous interview, 14 respondents had said their smartphone was expensive to use).

Only a handful respondents mentioned problems they were having that related to their use of and familiarity with their smartphone. Issues with downloading videos, using messenger apps or social media.

While there are some differences between the male and female respondents in the problems that were expressed, all of the recurring issues are mentioned by men and women alike.

Helping others with technology

Over 80% all respondents have helped others use their phone, the internet or technology in general. This is considerably more than during the previous interviews, when half of all respondents and three quarter of all respondents, respectively, said they had helped others.

Respondents that had not helped others with technology gave as a reason, almost unanimously, that they simply had not have someone in need of their help.

Unlike during previous interviews, when far more men than women said they helped others using technology, during this interview female and male respondents showed identical results, with 83% of both genders saying they had helped others.

There was a stark difference between the treatment and control group however, just as there had been during the previous interviews. Of the treatment group, 89% said they had helped others. Of the control group 77% said the same.