Three out of four Brazilians already use the Internet, TIC Domicilios 2019 survey reveals

Network usage increases in rural areas and in DE classes, but access inequalities persist in the country

Brazil has 134 million Internet users, representing 74% of the population aged 10 or older. Despite the significant increase in recent years in the proportion of the Brazilian population that uses the Internet, about a quarter of individuals (47 million people) remain disconnected. This is highlighted in the TIC Domicilios 2019 survey, launched this Tuesday (26) by the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br), through the Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br) of the Brazilian Network Information Center (NIC.br).

For the first time in the survey's historical series, more than half of the population living in rural areas declared being Internet users, reaching 53%, a proportion lower than that found in urban areas (77%). In the socioeconomic class breakdown, there was also an increase in the percentage of users from classes DE, which rose from 30% in 2015 to 57% in 2019. A significant number of individuals remain disconnected: 35 million people in urban areas (23%) and 12 million in rural areas (47%). Among the DE class population, there are almost 26 million (43%) non-users.

The mobile phone is the primary device for accessing the Internet, used by almost all network users (99%). The survey also highlights that 58% of Brazilians access the network exclusively via mobile phone, a proportion that reaches 85% in the DE class. Exclusive use of the mobile phone is also predominant among the black (65%) and brown (61%) population, compared to 51% of the white population. According to TIC Domicilios, there was an increase in Internet use via television (37%), a rise of seven percentage points compared to 2018.

Concerning home connection, the Internet is present in 71% of Brazilian households. More than 20 million households do not have Internet connection, a reality that especially affects households in the Northeast region (35%) and families with income up to 1 minimum wage (45%). The survey noted an increase in the number of households with Internet access in classes C and DE. In the DE classes, the proportion increased from 30% in 2015 to 50% in 2019.

For the fourth consecutive year, the survey identified a reduction in the presence of computers in households, decreasing from 50% in 2016 to 39% in 2019. In the socioeconomic breakdown, while 95% of class A households have some type of computer, they are present in only 44% of class C households and 14% of DE class households.

“With social isolation, a preventive measure against Covid-19, millions of Brazilians have come to depend even more on the Internet and ICTs generally to carry out remote work activities, distance learning, and even to access government emergency aid. However, the lack of Internet access and exclusive use of cell phones, especially in DE classes, highlight the digital inequalities present in the country and present relevant challenges for the effectiveness of public policies to tackle the pandemic. The school-aged child population in vulnerable families and without Internet access is also greatly affected during this period of social isolation. The pandemic clearly reveals the inequalities in Brazil,” points out Alexandre Barbosa, manager of Cetic.br.

Regarding the type of connection available in households, the survey reveals that in the last four years there has been a reversal in the positions of cable or fiber optic connection and telephone line (DSL) connection. Cable or fiber optic access rose from 24% (2015) to 44% (2019), the same difference as DSL connection, which fell from 26% to 6% in this period.

Internet Activities

Communication activities are the most common in the use of the network, with 92% of Internet users sending instant messages, followed by social media use (76%) and voice or video calls (73%), which have grown in recent years.

Information search is also among the main activities conducted on the Internet, especially the search for products and services (59%), followed by seeking information related to health or health services (47%). This latter one shows a lower proportion among people aged 60 or older (39%) and in DE classes (31%).

Furthermore, 41% of Internet users state they conduct school-related activities or research online, with 40% studying independently and 12% taking distance education courses. Only one-third of users (33%) work online, with this proportion representing less than half of the workforce (45%).

In 2019, 39% of Internet users bought products and services online in the twelve months preceding the survey. The proportion reaches 79% in class A and 16% in DE classes. Regional differences are also observed: 45% of Internet users in the Southeast region and 26% in the North region engaged in some form of e-commerce during this period.

Cultural Activities on the Internet

Watching videos (74%) and listening to music (72%) are also among the most common activities performed by Brazilian Internet users. This accounts for just over half of the population over the age of 10 who engage in such activities (56%), with recent years seeing an expansion of streaming consumption.

Videos, programs, films, or series are most watched on sites or video sharing apps (46%), through instant messaging apps (44%), followed by social media (38%) and subscription services (33%). Payment for watching movies and series online occurs among almost half of class A individuals, and about one-third of class B, being uncommon among users from classes C and DE.

Regarding cultural activities, TIC Domicilios 2019 also investigated, for the first time, the proportion of Internet users who listen to podcasts (13%), predominantly among users in class A (37%) and those with higher education (26%).

Electronic Government

TIC Domicilios 2019 also shows that 68% of Internet users aged 16 or older used electronic services offered by government agencies in the twelve months prior to the survey, with the most cited being: workers' rights and social security (36%), taxes and fees (28%), and personal documents (28%). Only 23% sought or performed a public health service, such as scheduling appointments, medications, or other services.

The profile of those who used online government services during the survey period varies: the proportion is 46% among people aged 60 or older and, in the socioeconomic class breakdown, it reaches 88% in class A and 48% in DE classes. More respondents from class A (80%) also reported downloading apps on their phones than respondents from class DE (42%).

“In general, the survey shows that cultural, school, work and public service activities on the Internet are less common among those who use the Internet only through a cell phone and among those who do not have fixed broadband at home. Although the data was collected in a period before the pandemic spread, it reveals how access limitations can affect the most vulnerable segments of the population,” comments Barbosa.

In its 15th edition, TIC Domicilios conducted interviews in 23,490 households across the national territory between October 2019 and March 2020, with the aim of measuring the use and appropriation of information and communication technologies in households, individual access to computers and the Internet, and activities carried out on the network, among other indicators.

To access the complete TIC Domicilios 2019, as well as review the historical series, visit https://cetic.br/pesquisa/domicilios/, where tables in Portuguese, English, and Spanish and the survey's microdata bases are also available for download.

About Cetic.br
The Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society, from NIC.br, is responsible for producing indicators and statistics on the availability and use of the Internet in Brazil, disseminating periodic analyses and information on the development of the network in the country. Cetic.br is a Regional Study Center, under the auspices of UNESCO. 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 civil, private, non-profit entity that, besides implementing the decisions and projects of the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee, has among its attributions: coordinating the domain name registration — Registro.br (https://www.registro.br/), studying, responding to and handling security incidents in Brazil — CERT.br (https://www.cert.br/), studying and researching network technologies and operations — Ceptro.br (https://www.ceptro.br/), producing indicators on information and communication technologies — Cetic.br (https://www.cetic.br/), implementing and operating Internet Exchange Points — IX.br (https://ix.br/), enabling the Brazilian community's participation in the global development of the Web and supporting public policy formulation — Ceweb.br (https://www.ceweb.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, responsible for establishing strategic guidelines related to the use and development of the Internet in Brazil, coordinates and integrates all Internet service initiatives in the country, promoting technical quality, innovation, and dissemination of the services offered. Based on principles of multi-sectoralism and transparency, CGI.br represents a democratic Internet governance model, praised internationally, in which all sectors of society equally participate in its decisions. One of its formulations is the 10 Principles for Governance and Use of the Internet (https://www.cgi.br/principios). More information at https://www.cgi.br/.

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