A striking result of the Bitkom survey: People are spending significantly more time in front of smartphone, computer, and television screens. Before the pandemic, the average screen time was 8 hours. According to the survey results, it is currently 10 hours per day, 70 hours per week. 84 percent of respondents use digital technologies more frequently today than before the pandemic. The increase was particularly strong among people aged 65 and over. Before the pandemic, 51 percent of seniors used digital technologies. Now, that number is 75 percent. Bitkom President Achim Berg says:
"The internet was terra incognita for many seniors. Among older people, the coronavirus has triggered a real digital boom and greatly improved digital participation."
The vast majority of respondents (86 percent) benefit from digitalization in their daily lives during the pandemic. For 69 percent, digital technologies make work easier, for 59 percent communication with friends or family easier, for 56 percent digital technology was useful in health matters, and for 52 percent in nutrition. Forty-six percent benefited from digital technologies in sports and fitness and in finance and insurance.
However, Berg also sees a countermovement to the increasing digitalization of everyday life:
"During the coronavirus pandemic, digital technologies have kept life going, both professionally and privately. At the same time, the need to spend more time in the analog world is growing."
Respondents draw negative conclusions after two years of pandemic
Respondents also attribute an important role to digitalization in dealing with the coronavirus itself: Around two-thirds of respondents believe that digital technologies can fundamentally help to overcome the pandemic and the associated restrictions.
Overall, however, respondents draw a pessimistic conclusion after two years of Corona: Just over one in four believe that Germany will emerge stronger from the pandemic, but around half believe that Germany will be weakened by Corona.
“Germany has not lived up to its reputation as a high-tech nation in dealing with the pandemic,”
says Berg.
"Whether in healthcare, education, or administration: Those responsible at federal, state, and local levels must massively increase the pace of digitalization in the third year of the pandemic. No one knows what will come after Omikron. But everyone knows something is coming. We must build a digital dam against a sixth wave and make Germany crisis-resilient."
