CGI.br Surveys Reveal the Growth Potential of e-Gov and the Social Importance of Internet Cafes

Indicators highlight the low usage rate of electronic government services and emphasize the social role of Internet cafes as a source of family income and digital inclusion

The Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br), through the Brazilian Network Information Center (NIC.br), announces the results of two unprecedented surveys: ICT Electronic Government and ICT Internet Cafes. Conducted by the Center for Studies on Information and Communication Technology (CETIC.br), responsible for producing NIC.br indicators and statistics, the surveys present data on the quality, reach, and use of government services offered via the Internet; and a general overview of the characteristics and management profile of Internet cafes across the country, respectively.

ICT Electronic Government Survey 2010
With institutional support from the Secretariat of Logistics and Information Technology, Ministry of Planning, Budget, and Management, the ICT Electronic Government covered 157 municipalities and interviewed 3,000 people aged 16 or over, and 650 companies, confirming the growth potential of e-Gov in Brazil. According to the survey, although the percentage of the Brazilian population that uses electronic government services is relatively low (35%), more than half of the population (56%) would choose the Internet to access government services the next time it is necessary, and another 60% declare they are likely to recommend the service on the web to their contact networks.

The most commonly used access method to public services remains face-to-face assistance, preferred by 60% of individuals. However, when citizens use technology as a mediator to access public services, 35% cited the Internet as the main means of obtaining public services, surpassing phone usage in government agency call centers, with 8% of respondents.

According to the survey, 91% of e-Gov users declared satisfaction or high satisfaction with government services offered online. Nevertheless, the degree of satisfaction and predisposition to use does not effectively translate to the utilization of e-Gov services. Among user citizens, the data show that usage is more intensely directed towards information searches about government services than to conducting transactions: activities related to informational services constitute the majority, reaching 90% of mentions, while transactional services achieve 61%.

“Even with the high satisfaction rates indicated, there are opportunities to improve electronic government services offered via the Internet, both in terms of searching for services and ease of usage,” says Alexandre Barbosa, manager of CETIC.br.

The survey also reveals barriers that hinder broader use of e-government by Brazilians: the primary concern among users was data security concerns (39%), followed by difficulty finding services (29%) and inefficient response to requests (28%). Non-users addressed issues such as preference for face-to-face assistance (48%) and lack of computer skills (48%).

Regarding the services demanded by the population, health services gain the expectations of e-Gov users when answered spontaneously. The majority of respondents mentioned the health area (34%), considering services such as scheduling appointments online.

In the scope of Brazilian companies, contrary to what happens among citizens, the Internet predominates as the channel for obtaining public services: 79% used at least one service in the last 12 months, while only 22% of companies opted for face-to-face assistance.

ICT Internet Cafes Survey 2010  
Since the first edition of the ICT Households survey in 2005, Internet cafes represent an important segment of computer network users in Brazil. According to the latest edition, despite 39% of respondents claiming to be network users, only 25% of Brazilian households have Internet access.

“A very significant part of Brazilians' Internet access occurs in Internet cafes. Without them, the growth in the number of Internet users in Brazil would have been much smaller. Therefore, these establishments are an important tool for digital inclusion,” says Alexandre.

The 1st edition of the ICT Internet Cafes 2010 survey gathered 412 establishments in 120 municipalities across Brazil, presenting, through indicators and statistics, a general overview of the characteristics and management profile of Internet cafes.
Of the cafes surveyed, 80% declared themselves a family business, and the vast majority (97%) reported having up to three employees. Almost half, 49%, said they were an establishment with some degree of formality. These indicators illustrate them as micro-enterprises strongly associated with the family of the owner, requiring a low number of employees to operate the business.

Establishments offering complementary products and services amounted to 44% of those surveyed. Computer commerce, technical computer assistance, stationery, and snack bars are some of the activities offered. Considering the sector's informality scenario, it is possible that many Internet cafes use the legal structure of companies constituted in other sectors to ensure their legal status.

A relevant factor, both for the Internet cafe business and the customer, is the diversity of services offered with added value, besides Internet access. Among them are games and communication applications (Skype, MSN, etc.), copy and printing services, IT and Internet courses, as well as convenience services like mobile recharge.

A significant portion, 46%, provides six to ten computers to their clients. Another 22% have between one and five pieces of equipment, and only 32% of Internet cafes have ten or more computers for user access.

Data on connection speed revealed that Internet cafes are closer to a home connection profile than a business one: 23% of Internet cafes offer speeds between 256 Kbps and 1Mbps; 32%, between 1 Mbps and 2 Mbps; 12%, between 2 Mbps and 4 Mbps; and only 25% offer speeds greater than 4 Mbps.

Internet cafes, as important agents in the digital inclusion process of Brazilians, do not offer alternatives of operating systems, reinforcing the scenario of proprietary software dominance. More than 90% of Internet cafes offer Microsoft Windows on their PC stations. The Linux/Ubuntu system was cited by 9% of establishments, and only 3% reported the availability of the Macintosh/Mac OS operating system.

Most Internet cafes have been in operation for up to two years, a critical period in the business lifecycle and need assistance and incentives to be economically viable in the medium and long term. According to the data, 31% of the cafes surveyed have been operating for less than a year, while another 27% have been operating for one to two years.

Regarding the profile of the managers of Internet cafes, the survey reveals that most cafes are managed by men (74% of respondents are male, compared to 26% female). Class C (54%) predominates, compared to 42% from classes A and B.

The ICT Electronic Government 2010 and ICT Internet Cafes 2010 surveys will be available at:
https://www.cetic.br.

About the Center for Studies on Information and Communication Technology (CETIC.br)
The Center for Studies on Information and Communication Technology (CETIC.br) is responsible for producing indicators and statistics on the availability and use of the Internet in Brazil, publishing periodic analysis and information on the network's development in the country. More information at https://www.cetic.br/.

About the Brazilian Network Information Center (NIC.br)
The Brazilian Network Information Center – NIC.br (https://www.nic.br/) is a non-profit civil organization that implements the decisions and projects of the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee. NIC.br's permanent activities include coordinating domain name registration – Registro.br (https://www.registro.br/), studying, responding to, and dealing with security incidents in Brazil - CERT.br (https://www.cert.br/), studying and researching network and operational technologies – CEPTRO.br (https://www.ceptro.br/), producing information and communication technology indicators – CETIC.br (https://www.cetic.br/) and hosting the W3C office in Brazil (https://www.w3c.br/).

About the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee – CGI.br
The Brazilian Internet Steering Committee coordinates and integrates all Internet service initiatives in the country, promoting technical quality, innovation, and the dissemination of offered services. More information at https://www.cgi.br/.

For more information, visit: https://www.s2publicom.com.br or https://www.cgi.br.

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Communication Advisory - NIC.br
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