According to the new one ARD/ZDF online study Internet media usage is currently declining noticeably, but remains at a high level. Never before have so many people used the Internet while on the go as in 2023.
80 percent of people in Germany aged 14 and over use the Internet every day. That’s from the new one ARD/ZDF online study out. Up to the age of 30, almost all Germans are online every day, for example to use videos, media libraries, news, music streaming, podcasts, social media or chats.
Only among those over 70 years of age is there a majority of 54 percent who do not use the Internet and online services every day. 22 percent of this age group do not use the Internet at all.
The value for mobile internet usage will reach a new high in 2023: 71 percent of the people surveyed say they go online at least once a week (+3 percentage points). This increase can be explained primarily by an increase among 50 to 69 year olds (+5 percentage points).
Media use on the Internet is declining slightly
After the use of media content or streams on the Internet reached a peak in 2022, the shows ARD/ZDF online study This year, media internet usage fell to 139 minutes per day (-21 minutes). There are declines in all age groups.
Last year there were Corona restrictions at the time the data was collected. The decline can also be explained by their disappearance; more time is being spent on non-media and activities outside of the home. Younger people spend an average of more than four hours per day on media internet content, while those aged 70 and over only spend a good half an hour.
Number of users declining
Not only has the intensity of use declined this year, but also the number of people who actually use media via the Internet. Across all age groups, however, the values remain above the level of the Corona year 2021. The daily reach for media Internet use falls slightly to 65 percent (-7 percentage points).
This can be explained primarily by the declining reach of text use on the Internet (36 percent, -8 percentage points). Videos on the Internet are still watched by exactly every second person (-1 percentage point). On a normal day, 82 percent of 14 to 29-year-olds watch videos on the Internet, and of 30 to 49-year-olds the figure is 65 percent.
The daily reach of audios is also declining slightly (37 percent, -5 percentage points). Music streaming is still the most widespread application here (41 percent use this service daily or weekly), followed by listening to radio over the Internet (25 percent) and listening to podcasts or radio reports on demand (29 percent).
ARD and ZDF media libraries are seeing more usage
The media libraries of ARD and ZDF can further expand their user numbers: with 54 percent (ARD) or 55 percent (ZDF) they reach significantly more than half of the population at least sometimes. At least once a week, 22 percent see each (ARD) or 21 percent (ZDF) programs and films in the two public media libraries.
When it comes to video streaming services, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video continue to clearly lead the market: 36 percent of people use Netflix’s offering at least once a week. Amazon’s service is at 26 percent and is positioned ahead of Disney+ (13 percent) and Sky’s digital offerings (11 percent).
Competition is getting tougher
Normalized internet usage will make competition between digital media providers tougher, according to ZDF planning chief Florian Kumb. “At the same time, the media libraries of ARD and ZDF now has more than half of the population in Germany – and the trend is rising.” The company’s goal of “A ZDF for everyone” has come closer.
Benjamin Fischer, the head of ARD Online and des ARD digital boardsexplained: “Our goal is to give everyone seamless and convenient access to all public content. We have now achieved that. From the ARD media library A user-oriented streaming network has been created together with the ZDF media library.”
For users, the best digital offerings and their premium content would be combined with the diversity of the regions. “In this way, we will be successful across all age groups and, together with public partners, we will create the most relevant offer for people in Germany,” says Fischer.
Social media and messenger: Instagram is the front runner in 2023
According to the study, 52 percent of the German population uses social media every week. In the youngest age group, nine out of ten people access social media offerings at least once a week; those aged 70 and over this figure has now risen to 14 percent. On a normal day, 35 percent of the population uses social media (68 percent for those under 30).
Based on the total population, a usage time of 31 minutes was determined (69 minutes for those under 30 years old). When it comes to at least weekly usage, the two leaders have swapped places this year: Instagram leads the ranking of social media usage with 35 percent, ahead of Facebook with 33 percent. TikTok (15 percent) and Snapchat (13 percent) follow far behind.
Among those under 30, Instagram is well ahead of Snapchat (52 percent), TikTok (41 percent) and Facebook (34 percent) at 79 percent. In the middle age group (30-49 years old), Facebook still retains its leading position ahead of Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Online search functions and navigation with high popularity
Four out of five people in Germany use internet search engines at least once a week. Almost everyone under 50 uses them. The use of online maps such as Google Maps is also widespread in this age group – 65 percent use them. Based on the total population, it is 46 percent.
Three out of four people write and read private emails at least once a week, especially the 30 to 49 age group, but also almost to the same extent the 14 to 29 age group. Around a third read newsletters and use online reference works such as Wikipedia.
ChatGPT will be surprisingly widespread in spring 2023
The ARD/ZDF online study In addition to the basic data, we also determined initial awareness and usage values for ChatGPT. At the time of the survey in spring 2023, the AI application had been freely accessible for around six months. More than half have heard of chatbots like ChatGPT, exactly 57 percent. 15 percent of the total population have already used them, primarily those under 30 (33 percent).
To the study
The ARD/ZDF online study 2023 was commissioned by the ARD/ZDF Research Commission carried out. The results are based on the merged data set with the core data of the ARD/ZDF study Mass communication trends 2023.
In 2023, 1,501 representatively selected German-speaking people aged 14 and over were surveyed between March 6th and April 9th: 70 percent of them by telephone based on a representative dual-frame sample (landline and mobile phone), another 30 percent via a representative one Online panel.