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Portugal

ICT usage in households and by individuals (isoc_i)

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National Reference Metadata in Single Integrated Metadata Structure (SIMS)

Compiling agency: Statistics Portugal

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The EU survey on the use of ICT in households and by individuals is an annual survey conducted since 2002. In Portugal, it has been conducted since 2002.

In 2024 was adopted the NUTS 2024 version, what for Portugal means a change at level 2.

In 2024, the survey collects data on the access to information and communication technologies (ICT), on the use of the internet, e-government, e-commerce, Internet of things and Green ICT.

In Portugal the Survey also collected information about "online working" and about access to fixed technologies at home other than Internet (DTT, fixed telephone line and TV by subscription).

3 January 2025

The survey is collecting data of internet users, individuals who have used the internet in the three months prior to the survey. 

This annual survey is used to benchmark ICT-driven developments, both by following developments for core variables over time and by looking in greater depth at other aspects at a specific point in time. While the survey initially concentrated on access and connectivity issues, its scope has subsequently been extended to cover a variety of subjects (for example, the use of internet, e-government, e-commerce, Internet of Things and Green ICT) and socio-economic analysis (such as regional diversity, gender specificity, differences in age, education and the employment situation). The scope of the survey with respect to different technologies is also adapted so as to cover new product groups and means of delivering communication technologies to end-users.

For more details on the methodology applicable in each survey year, please consult the Compiler's Manual for the respective year (Methodological Manual - Information society statistics).

Deviations from standard ICT concepts: Not applicable.

Households and Individuals

In the ICT usage survey, the target population for the different statistical units is:

  • individuals: all individuals aged 16 to 74;
  • households: all (private) households with at least one member aged 16 to 74. 

Target population composed of households and/or individuals:

  • Number of households: 3,837,101
  • Number of individuals: 7,900,378

All national territory is covered (mainland, Região Autónoma dos Açores and Região Autónoma da Madeira); no parts excluded.

For most questions the reference period is the last three months before the interview. Questions in the modules on e-government refer to the 'last year' before the interview.

Deviation from this assertion:

In general, the reference period for the ICT variables correspond to the 3 months prior to the date of the interview (it covers a period that depends on the data collection period, that started on 16 May and ended 25 August 2024); there are however specific variables where “previous twelve months” are specified in accordance to the EU model questionnaire.

The reference period for the socio-demographic background variables is the date of the interview.

Random errors are essentially caused by the respondents and by the records of the interviewers. As for systematic errors, they are caused by the non-responses of some households, which are compensated in the final weights which integrates a factor of non-responses and calibration, and are described below.

Percentages of ‘Households’ and Percentages of ‘Individuals’

Imputation was used in case of non-response or refusal to answer to: activity status, sector in employment, occupation in employment, education attainment level and household income (including the imputation of invalid/too low income values declared by the respondents).

The average household income declared by individuals with similar characteristics (in terms of education level, age class and activity status) was used to impute the household income missing or invalid data. 

For the other variables, missing data were imputed using data previously collected for individuals has been interviewed in previous years (the latest year for activity status); if the individual have not been interviewed in previous years, the modal value declared by individuals with similar characteristics has been used.

The source of the raw data is described with more details in the paragraphs below.

Annual

Date of data dissemination at national level: 

At national level, data is disseminated (in press release format and database indicators on Statistics Portugal website) in the end of November of year n, with n being the year of data collection.

A delay in the release never happened, even during the COVID-19 pandemic when response rates decreased sharply.

There is no problem of comparability across the country’s regions.

Possible limitations in the use of data for comparisons over time:  

Portugal assumed a break in the series in 2024 on indicator “Submitting the tax declaration”, due to the simplification of data collection about the preparation and submission of personal income tax declaration, in line with what has been defined at European level, which, unlike in previous years, has resulted in difficulties in recognising situations in which it is the respondent himself/herself who submits the declaration. This indicator increased from 28.4% in 2023 to 51.0% in 2024.

In 2024 there was a sample resizing to ensure compliance with the new version of NUTS (NUTS-2024), maintaining representativeness for all NUTS 2 regions. However, this change is not enough to warrant the designation of a break in series, and the new sample size will be applied gradually over the next 4 years (from 2024 to 2027).