As the German coalition negotiations draw to a close, eco – Association of the Internet Industry is appealing to the future government parties to now set the right course for a strong and future-proof digital location in Germany.

In the digital age, data protection is more important than ever. However, a recent eco survey conducted among 2,500 German citizens in the European Data Protection Day shows that, in Germany, the majority of citizens (52.4%) consider data protection to be too complicated.

With just one year to go before the 2025 federal election, there is growing dissatisfaction in Germany with the digital policy of the German traffic light coalition government. After around three years of the coalition government, 86.2 per cent of respondents believe that the federal government is not advancing digital transformation sufficiently.

The competition for cybersecurity experts in the job market continues to intensify significantly. Nevertheless, almost half of companies have not yet taken any measures to recruit cybersecurity experts, according to a recent survey by eco – Association of the Internet Industry among business decision-makers.

A Civey survey commissioned by eco shows that, despite extensive digitalisation measures, digital health services are only used by a minority of Germans. eco Managing Director Alexander Rabe calls for action: “The German federal government must encourage a new mindset among the population and further catalyse progress so that everyone can benefit from the advantages of digital health services.”

A representative survey* commissioned by eco Association shows that a third of those surveyed (31.3%) do not take any measures to ensure that their holiday photos are as secure as possible online.

A recent representative survey by eco Association, with around 2,500 citizens surveyed by the market and opinion research institute Civey, shows that the German population is still very sceptical about the use of artificial intelligence in schools.

Even after 40 years of email in Germany, electronic mail remains the most popular means of communication. Email is by far the most frequently used means of communication, particularly in a professional context, but three quarters of the German population (75.8%) also regularly send emails in their private lives.

A recent survey by eco – Association of the Internet Industry shows that many people in Germany are still dissatisfied with the digital infrastructure. This is particularly true for train journrys, where one in three (35.5%) say they would like better mobile Internet.

Pioneering companies in Germany are developing and implementing innovative solutions based on artificial intelligence in close collaboration with technology groups. However, the use of artificial intelligence is still in its infancy among German companies, as highlighted by a representative survey of 543 corporate decision-makers conducted by YouGov2 on behalf of eco – Association of the Internet Industry shows.

eco survey reveals: One-third of the surveyed IT decision-makers have not yet taken any measures to fulfil the increased security requirements of NIS2.

96 per cent of security experts in Germany see a growing threat situation, more than in previous years. 4 per cent believe that the threat situation has remained unchanged, and those surveyed do not see the situation easing. These are the findings of the eco IT Security Survey 2024, which surveyed 226 security experts.

People in Germany see particularly strong potential in the education and health sectors, according to a representative survey of the population conducted by the market and opinion research institute Civey on behalf of eco – Association of the Internet Industry.

AI can contribute to more equal opportunities in application and promotion processes Skilled women in particular to benefit from new jobs created by AI Around one in three women (30%) are still sceptical and believe that the use of artificial intelligence will reduce their career opportunities Artificial Intelligence...

People in Germany are only willing to provide their data anonymously for the training of artificial intelligence to a limited extent. This is shown by a recent survey conducted by the market and opinion research institute Civey on behalf of the eco Association. “The German federal government and industry must create a trustworthy data ecosystem in order to maintain the future viability of Germany’s digital location,” says eco Chair Oliver Süme.

Citizens in Germany currently only use very few online administrative services. This is revealed in a recent representative survey conducted by the market and opinion research institute Civey on behalf of eco – Association of the Internet Industry.

In industrial manufacturing in particular, 58.7 per cent of Germans would like to see artificial intelligence-based technologies take over tasks from skilled workers. Many Germans are also in favour of using AI in the transport sector (38.5%), the financial sector (24.3%) and in nursing and geriatric care (22.2%), according to a recent representative survey by market and opinion research institute Civey*.

Approximately one in two Germans (49.2%) use digital services or platforms to manage their own finances. This is the result of a recent representative survey conducted by the market and opinion research institute Civey on behalf of the eco – Association of the Internet Industry.

One in three Germans (34.4 per cent) stores their online passwords mentally, according to an eco survey conducted on the occasion of Change Your Password Day on 1 February. The eco Association gives three tips for secure passwords.

Millions of Germans are currently unable to get to to their usual workplaces or attend scheduled appointments due to the railway strike. A recent eco survey has shown that the use of digital technologies and applications such as video conferencing is once again the method of choice to compensate for this situation.

Only 40.8 per cent of respondents reported having a maximum of three devices connected to the Internet, with the over-65s in particular using fewer online devices than younger people. These are the findings of a recent survey conducted by the market and opinion research institute Civey on behalf of the eco – Association of the Internet Industry.

73.6 per cent of IT decision-makers see artificial intelligence (AI) as the most influential trend for business IT in 2024. eco Association gives 5 recommendations on how companies can benefit from new AI applications in 2024.

After two years since the formation of the current German "traffic light" coalition, eco provides a mixed assessment of the progress in digital policy. In the Traffic Light Coalition Check, the association analysed twelve areas of Internet policy action and compared them with the goals of the coalition agreement. The conclusion reached by eco Chair of the Board Oliver Süme. “Instead of an ambitious digital policy, after two years of the current German coalition government, we are experiencing at best a stop-and-go.”

38.1 per cent pay attention to different payment methods when shopping on the Internet Relevant reviews from 36.4 per cent of other shoppers eco Association gives 7 tips for shopping on Black Friday without concerns With the Christmas shopping season beginning on Black Friday, 80.6 per cent of online shoppers are...

AI is a key technology of the future with a wide range of possible applications and the potential to transform the economy, science and society. Nevertheless, there are still major reservations about AI-based technologies in large parts of the German population, as displayed through an eco/Civey survey. eco calls for a broad debate in order to boost societal acceptance.

With the advent of the Internet, email began its triumphant advance as a means of communication. A representative survey conducted by the opinion research institute Civey on behalf of eco – Association of the Internet Industry shows that email is still very important tool to many people.

“Most people have realised that jobs in the IT industry offer attractive working conditions,” states Lucia Falkenberg, New Work Competence Group and CPO. She advises companies to strengthen their employer brand in this direction with seven tips.

At the beginning of the 2023 heating season, only 8 per cent of Germans use smart heating thermostats that can be controlled via an app. Just a few take advantage of other digital solutions to save energy: 11.2 per cent of Germans control their lighting using motion detectors, while 10.3 per cent use smart shower heads. Additionally, only 7 per cent control their sockets via an app.

It is difficult to predict how German reunification would have unfolded if the Internet had existed in its current form. However, approximately one in three Germans (30.5 per cent) believes that German reunification would have occurred sooner if the digital global networking had existed at that time. These are the results of a representative survey of 2,515 Germans conducted by the opinion research institute Civey on behalf of the eco – Association of the Internet Industry, on the occasion of this year’s German Unification Day.

The Internet is largely self-governing, independent of individual companies or governments. Three out of four Germans (73.9%) concur with this statement: “Independent governance of the Internet is important for the freedom of information and the freedom of expression in our society”. At the ICANN78 AGM from 21-26 October 2023, an independent multi-stakeholder community will make decisions on core functions of the Internet.

Germans do not adequately back up their photos and videos from family holidays or family celebrations on their smartphones. According to a representative survey of 2,506 Germans conducted by the opinion research institute Civey on behalf of eco – Association of the Internet Industry, only 22.5 per cent use cloud services for storing private media.

Digital services and technologies are the driving thrust for the transport turnaround. 45.4 per cent of Germans attribute a decisive role to digital mobility services in shaping the traffic turnaround. The respondents place great hope above all in artificial intelligence and thus intelligent traffic management.

More CO2 savings and optimised traffic control through artificial intelligence as well as vehicles that communicate with the traffic infrastructure such as traffic lights: This is the dream scenario of German motorists with regard to digital technologies and services in the automotive sector. This is the result of a survey conducted by Civey on behalf of eco at the end of July 2023 among 2,500 car users – on the occasion of the IAA in Munich at the beginning of September.

In presenting the German Digital Strategy a year ago, the German federal government's aim was to create a digital awakening. However, a year into the Digital Strategy, the majority of the population in Germany believes that the federal government has not yet made much progress in the area of digital transformation. This has been displayed by a recent representative survey conducted by the market and opinion research institute Civey on behalf of eco Association.

There is a lot of room for improvement in the teaching of digital skills in German schools: 88.1 per cent of Germans would like to see better digital education in schools, but a breakthrough is not to be expected with the start of the new school year 2023/2024.

Whether in the supermarket, restaurant or at the bakery: one in four people hold their mobile phone or smartwatch against the card reader to pay. The latest eco/Civey study shows that the number of mobile payment users has doubled in the last four years.

Approximately one in ten (10.8 percent) post photos via social media channels such as Instagram or Facebook. Additionally, 10.6 percent send photos via email and 4.4 percent have photos printed online via print services. These are the findings of a representative survey conducted by the opinion research institute Civey on behalf of eco – Association of the Internet Industry, involving 2,500 Germans over the age of 18.

According to a Civey survey commissioned by eco – Association of the Internet Industry, 29.8 percent of respondents move their workplace outdoors, with 13.2 percent occasionally working away from home and 16.6 percent doing so frequently.

According to a representative survey conducted by the opinion research institute Civey on behalf of eco – Association of the Internet Industry, every fourth person (26.4 percent) has personally registered a domain name (e.g., example.de) on the Internet.

Online-based technologies for outdoor activities have become popular summer companions for nearly half of the population in Germany. At 27.3 percent, the most popular applications include smartphones with holiday apps for hiking tours, for example.

Only one in four Germans currently uses digital public transport tickets on a smartphone. In urban areas and among younger people, they are much more widespread. These are the results of a Civey survey commissioned by eco – Association of the Internet Industry.

Almost every fifth person uses apps for planning hiking tours (22.8 per cent). Just over one out of ten people (11.4 per cent) now also use their mobile phone or smartwatch to pay while on holiday. These are the results of a representative Civey survey commissioned by eco – Association of the Internet Industry at the beginning of the summer holidays in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Health apps are helping an increasing number of people to achieve this goal – through more exercise, improved nutrition, better sleep and more self-care. Almost every third person (31.6 per cent) uses health apps, according to a representative survey of 2,500 Germans conducted by the market and opinion research institute Civey on behalf of eco – Association of the Internet Industry.

Five years after the General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR) came into force on 25 May, most consumers in Germany are making a conscious decision to protect their personal data on the Internet. This is shown by a representative Civey survey commissioned by eco – Association of the Internet Industry.

According to a representative Civey survey commissioned by eco – Association of the Internet Industry, many Germans say that the Internet industry is making a major contribution to better shaping our future.

When selecting cloud services for corporate IT, experts are particularly concerned about the trusted handling of data. This is shown by a Civey survey of 250 IT experts commissioned by eco – Association of the Internet Industry. According to the survey, the most important criterion when selecting cloud services in corporate IT is an encryption offer from the cloud provider (41.5 per cent). What are also seen to be very important are quality and security certificates (36.6 per cent) and the compatibility of the service with the GDPR.

The digitalisation of the workplace – for example through mobile working options – can contribute to improving the work-life balance. This is the view of around two out of three Germans (61.2 per cent), according to a representative Civey survey commissioned by eco – Association of the Internet Industry on the occasion of Labour Day on 1 May.

According to a representative survey conducted by the opinion research institute Civey on behalf of eco – Association of the Internet Industry, 23.9 per cent of respondents say that the teaching of digital skills in schools has actually deteriorated over the last three years.

eco Survey: 83.7 per cent of IT experts believe that the German industry is in a worse position than its international competitors. 55 per cent complain about bureaucratic hurdles in digitalisation projects in German industry.

The current cybersecurity situation in Germany remains tense, according to the prevailing opinion of IT experts. 93 per cent rate the general threat situation as high or very high, while only about 7 per cent of those participating in the current IT Security Survey by eco – Association of the Internet Industry assume that the threat situation will remain unchanged.

Book accommodation and flights on the Internet or let your mobile phone guide you to your holiday destination: Almost two out of three Germans (61.9 per cent) currently use online services that make it easier for them to prepare for their holidays and while on location.

36.6 per cent of Germans back up their most important private data less often than once a year or never. This is according to a survey conducted on World Backup Day on 31 March, the international day of data backup.

Women have little interest in IT and technology: This is an opinion actually still held by almost 40 per cent (38.6 %) of Germans. A survey conducted by the research institute Civey on behalf of eco – Association of the Internet Industry, which asked for reasons why the proportion of women in IT professions is so low, came to this conclusion.

At 8.2 per cent, smart solutions in the heating sector are those most frequently used in German households. This is the result of a survey of 2,500 people conducted by the opinion research institute Civey on behalf of eco – Association of the Internet Industry in mid-February 2023.