Federal Statistical Office of Germany

Dep. E34

Gustav-Stresemann-Ring 11

65189 Wiesbaden

Germany

Data on the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) usage and e-commerce in enterprises are survey data. They are collected by the National Statistical Institutes or Ministries and are in principle based on Eurostat's annual model questionnaires on ICT usage and e-commerce in enterprises.

Large part of the data collected is used to measure the progress in the implementation of one of the main political priorities of the European Commission for 2019 to 2024 – A Europe fit for the digital age. Part of this is the "European strategy for data", envisioning a single market for data to ensure the EU's global competitiveness and data sovereignty, in which context a comprehensive set of new rules for all digital services was proposed: the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act, which are centrepieces of the EU digital strategy. Furthermore, the Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy presented a new “EU cybersecurity strategy”, which is intended to bolster the EU's collective resilience against cyber threats, safeguard a global and open internet and protect EU values and the fundamental rights of its people. Furthermore, data will allow monitoring the progress towards  A Europe fit for the digital age, one of the six priorities for the period 2019-2024 of the von der Leyen European Commission.

The aim of the European survey on ICT usage and e-commerce in enterprises is to collect and disseminate harmonised and comparable information at European level.

 NACE Rev.2 2008

All economic activities in the scope of Annex I of the Commission Regulation are intended to be included in the general survey, covering enterprises with 10 or more employees and self-employed persons. These activities are: NACE Rev. 2 sections C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, L, M and N, division 95.1.

For micro-enterprises see the sub-concepts below.

The model questionnaire on ICT usage and e-commerce in enterprises provides a large variety of variables covering among others the following areas:

-          Access to and use of the Internet

-          E-commerce and e-business

-          Use of cloud computing services

-          Artificial Intelligence

-          Other topics: Data utilisation, sharing, analytics and trading, Invoicing.

The annual model questionnaires and the European businesses statistics compliers’ manual for ICT usage and e-commerce in enterprises comprise definitions and explanations regarding the topics of the survey.

Legal unit

Target Population

As required by Annex of the Commission Implementing Regulation, enterprises with 10 or more employees and self-employed persons shall be covered by the survey.

For micro-enterprises see the sub-concepts below.

The entire territory of Germany is covered.

Years 2022 and 2023.

Not applicable

Percentages of enterprises, Percentages of turnover, Percentages of employees and self-employed persons, Million euro.

The reference period corresponds to the one in the model questionnaire: January 2023. For certain variables (sales, turnover, employees) the reference periode was 2022.

Complementary national legislation constituting the legal basis for the survey on the use of ICT in enterprises:

- Informationsgesellschaftsstatistikgesetz (InfoGesStatG)

- Regulation (EU) 2019/2152

- Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/1344

The data are collected by the Federal Statistical Office of Germany. The Statistical Offices of the Länder receive the data for their specific region when the survey is finished.

Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics (recital 24 and Article 20(4)) of 11 March 2009 (OJ L 87, p. 164), stipulates the need to establish common principles and guidelines ensuring the confidentiality of data used for the production of European statistics and the access to those confidential data with due account for technical developments and the requirements of users in a democratic society.

At national level : 

"Bundesstatistikgesetz in der Fassung der Bekanntmachung vom 20. Oktober 2016 (BGBl. I S. 2394), das zuletzt durch Artikel 5 des Gesetzes vom 20. Dezember 2022 (BGBl. I S. 2727) geändert worden ist"

According to §16 BStatG individual indication are kept in principal confidential. Exceptions need to be expressly regulated. 

Data are transmitted via eDamis (encrypted) and delivered to a secure environment where they are treated. Flags are added for confidentiality in case results must not be disclosed.

At national level : 

The minimum number of enterprises for breakdowns is 10. Otherwise breakdowns are flagged.

National results are released in November/December the same year that the survey is conducted. The release date is documented in a internal calendar.

The release dates are not publicly accessible.

The results of the ICT survey are usually published in November/December. The publication in our data base is combined with a press release. On our webpage there is a weekly preview available, listing all press releases of the current week.

Annual

National dissemination of results

We plan a press release in November/December. Our press releases can be found here: https://www.destatis.de/DE/Themen/Branchen-Unternehmen/Unternehmen/IKT-in-Unternehmen-IKT-Branche

Our results will be published in our data base in November/December. The link to the data base is: https://www-genesis.destatis.de/genesis/online (Search for 52911 to view results from the ICT survey)

See detailed section 10.3.1.

Results for selected variables collected in the framework of this survey are available for all participating countries on Digital economy and society of Eurostat website.

At national level :

The link to the data base is https://www-genesis.destatis.de/genesis/online (Search for 52911 to view results from the ICT survey). The number of accesses is not available.

Not applicable

Not requested

Not requested

Each year we publicate a quality report which is available here: https://www.destatis.de/DE/Methoden/Qualitaet/Qualitaetsberichte/Unternehmen/einfuehrung.html

Not requested

Not available

The European businesses statistics compliers’ manual for ICT usage and e-commerce in enterprises provides guidelines and standards for the implementation of the surveys. It is updated every year according to the changed contents of the model questionnaires.

At national level :

The above mentioned measures also account for quality measures at national level. Besides, there are plausibility checks defined and embedded in the data acquisition process. If unplausible or incomplete answers occur it is tried to check the unplauibilities with the enterprises.

European level :

At European level, the recommended use of the annual Eurostat model questionnaire aims at improving comparability of the results among the countries that conduct the survey on ICT usage and e-commerce in enterprises. Moreover, the Methodological Manual provides guidelines and clarifications for the implementation of the surveys.

National level :

The above mentioned measures also account for quality measures at national level. Besides, there are plausibility checks defined and embedded in the data acquisition process. If unplausible or incomplete answers occur it is tried to check the unplauibilities with the enterprises.

European level : 

At European level, European Commission users (e.g. DG CNECT, DG GROW, DG JUST, DG REGIO, DG JRC) are the principal users of the data on ICT usage and e-commerce in enterprises and contribute in identifying/defining the topics to be covered. Hence, main users are consulted regularly (at hearings, task forces, ad hoc meetings) for their needs and are involved in the process of the development of the model questionnaires at a very early stage.

User needs are considered throughout the whole discussion process of the model questionnaires aiming at providing relevant statistical data for monitoring and benchmarking of European policies.

National level :

Not available

European level : 

At European level, contacts within the Commission, the OECD and other stakeholders give a clear picture about the key users' satisfaction as to the following data quality aspects: accuracy and reliability of results, timeliness, satisfactory accessibility, clarity and comparability over time and between countries, completeness and relevance. Overall users have evaluated positively (good, very good) the data quality on the ICT usage and e-commerce in enterprises.

National level :

Not available

Detailed information is available in “ Annex I _ Completeness “ excel file - related to questionnaire, coverage, additional questions.

Not requested. Any relevant qualitative information is available in the column “Any deviation from question / item in model questionnaire” in the “ Annex I _ Completeness “ excel file.

Comments on reliability and representativeness of results and completeness of dataset

These comments reflect overall standard errors reported for the indicators and breakdowns in section 13.2.1 (Sampling error - indicators) and the rest of the breakdowns for national and European aggregates, as well as other accuracy measurements. The estimated standard error should not exceed 2pp for the overall proportions and should not exceed 5pp for the proportions related to the different subgroups of the population (for those NACE aggregates for the calculation and dissemination of national aggregates). If problems were found, these could have implications for future surveys (e.g. need to improve sampling design, to increase sample sizes, to increase the response rates).

More detailed information is available in “ Annex II. _ Accuracy “ excel file - related to European aggregates, comments on reliability and use of flag.

For calculation of the standard error see 13.2.1.1.

Standard error (for selected indicators and breakdowns)

Precision measures related to variability due to sampling, unit non-response (the size of the subset of respondents is smaller than the size of the original sample) and other (imputation for item non-response, calibration etc.) are not (yet) required from the Member states for all indicators.  Eurostat will make basic assumptions to compute these measures for all indicators produced (e.g. stratified random sampling assuming as strata the crossing of the variables “Number of employees and self-employed persons” and “Economic Activity” as it was defined in the 3 tables of section 18.1).

More detailed information is available in“ Sample and standard error tables 2023 “ excel file – worksheets starting with “Standard error".

Calculation of the standard error

Various methods can be used for the calculation of the standard error for an estimated proportion. The aim is to incorporate into the standard error the sampling variability but also variability due to unit non-response, item non-response (imputation), calibration etc. In case of census / take-all strata, the aim is to calculate the standard errors comprising the variability due to unit non-response and item non-response.

See detailed sections below.

See concept 18.1.1. A) Description of  frame population.

No over-coverage

Not requested

No measurement errors detected.

See detailed sections below.

Response and non-response

The following table contains the number of units (i.e. enterprises), by type of response to the survey and by the percentage of these values in relation to the gross sample size.

The survey on ICT usage is voluntary. Enterprises receive a second notification to remind them of the survey.

To measure a possible unit non-response bias, response rates are compared between size classes and economic sectors. There is no significant variance in response rates between different economic sectors. Concerning size classes, very small enterprises (0-9 persons employed) have a higher non-response rate.

Not available. 

Other comments relating to the item non-response

No processing errors were detected.

Not requested

See detailed section below.

Not applicable

European level : 

Data are to be delivered to Eurostat in the fourth quarter of the reference year (due date for the finalised dataset is 5th October). European results are released before the end of the survey year or in the beginning of the year following the survey year (T=reference year, T+0 for indicators referring to the current year, T+12 months for other indicators referring to the previous year e.g. e-commerce).

At national level : 

 No deviation.

 See detailed section below.

 In 2023 data on ict usage and e-commerce in enterprises have been transmitted punctually to Eurostat (05.10.2023).

The model questionnaire is generally used by the countries that conduct the survey on ICT usage and e-commerce in enterprises. Due to (small) differences in translation, in the used survey vehicle, in non-response treatment or different routing through the questionnaire, some results for some countries may be of reduced comparability. In these cases, notes are added in the data.

Detailed information on differences in the wording of the questions in the national questionnaires is available in “ Annex I _ Completeness “ excel file - related to questionnaire, coverage, additional questions.

Not applicable

See section below.

The length of comparable time series depends on the module and the variable considered within each survey module. Additional information is available in annexes attached to the European metadata.

No issues to be indicated

 Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

The Statistical Office of Germany has a guideline for internal data revisions and their communication (download: https://www.destatis.de/DE/Methoden/Qualitaet/richtlinie-fehlerbehandlung.pdf?__blob=publicationFile). The guideline classifies publication errors, defines how to deal with them and requires the documentation of the publication error and its treatment.

After classifying the publication error (formal error or content error) the error treatment is undertaken. Depending on the severity of the error there are differences regarding the intensity of informing the users, the point in time of disseminating the corrected data and information, and the involvement of other persons in the error tretament process. Finally, a form on the documentation of publication errors is to be completed in order to derive measures to minimize publication errors. An annual report on publication errors is provided for internal use.

 Not requested

A) Frame population description and distribution

For more information see concept 18.1.1.

B) Sampling design - Sampling method

Description of the sampling method used (e.g. stratified random sample, quota sampling, cluster sampling; one-stage or two-stage sampling) and information which variables were used to stratify, the categories of those variables, in particular for the NACE Rev. 2 categories related to the "possible calculation of European aggregates", and the final number of strata: 

For sampling a random stratified sample was used. The variables of stratification were the federal state, the economic activity (according to NACE Rev. 2) and the number of employees (including a „0”-stratum, see annex for further information). The final number of strata amounted to 1962.

The sample of enterprises is selected using a stratified random sampling method. Enterprises are grouped into strata taking into account "Federal state", "economic activity" and size classes of employees. The allocation of sample size to strata is following the optimum allocation (minimizing variance for a fixed cost) in compliance to the quality requirements.  At the end, the sample is reweighted by a calibration approach using updated survey and business register information. For the „0”-stratum in each stratum of the sample (federal state x economic activity) a certain number of enterprises from the “0”-stratum was selected. For most cases this corresponded to an inclusion probability of less than 1%. (Size class 0 to 1 persons employed includes enterprises of the  „0”-stratum; for the exact number of enterprises in the „0”-stratum, see annex.)

C) Gross sample distribution

More detailed information is available in “ Sample and standard error tables 2023  “ excel file (Worksheet: GROSS SAMPLE)

D) Net sample distribution

More detailed information is available in “ Sample and standard error tables 2023  “ excel file (Worksheet: NET SAMPLE)

A) Description of frame population

 B) Frame population distribution

More detailed information is available in “ Sample and standard error tables 2023  “ excel file (Worksheet: FRAME POPULATION)

Annual

See detailed sections below.

It is a combination of a self-administered mail and a web survey - respondents can choose either. The web-questionnaire is provided barrier-free.

Data has been validated by server based EDIT validation.  Already during the process of data collection several plausibility checks are conducted.

Grossing-up procedures

An unbound extrapolation is applied to each stratum. The net sample is grossed up by using the data of the business register. Unit non-response is corrected for by the so called "Verfahren der multiplikativen Ergänzung".Three weighting factors are calculated for each stratum. Depending on the type of indicator one of the following raising factors is chosen for data analysis: raising factor for enterprises, employees or turnover.

Not available.

Not applicable

Not applicable

Problems encountered and lessons to be learnt: