Austria

Computing, Internet Diffusion & Cultural Attitudes Toward Technology

 

Executive Summary

Austria has been slower to adopt technology than its European comrades. It spends less on ICT as a percentage of GDP than its European colleagues and a slower diffusion of personal computers and Internet. This section discusses ICT diffusion and rates of usage by individual stakeholders, who were analyzed by the Internet rates and technology accessibility. After analyzing individuals’ usage of technology, there is a brief discussion of Austria’s culture in the midst of technology.

 

Computing and Internet Diffusion

A highly educated society, such as Austria, should be more apt to embrace new technology. Austria has lagged behind its European colleagues. The country spent approximately $9 million or 7.2 percent of its GDP ($245.3 billion) on ICT in 2001 (21). This figure is noticeably lower than that of Switzerland, which spent 10.2 percent of its GDP ($239.3 billion) on ICT in the same year. Further examples of sluggish growth can be seen in computer and internet usage by its citizens. By the June 2004, only 53 percent of Austrian households had a computer (an 8-10 percent increase from 2002). In 2001, approximately 55 percent of U.S. households had a computer.

There were 3.73 million Internet users (2) in 2003 and, though cyber cafés are very popular in Europe, 1.4 million households (40 percent of all households) had Internet access as of June 2004 (20). Dial-up is still the most widely used connection but 36 percent of households with Internet access used a broadband connection as of June 2004. 917,000 households are expected to use broadband by 2005 (6). Overall approximately 46 percent of all Austrians had access to the Internet in 2003, which almost equals the 47 percent in Germany. The highest rates of Internet usage are in the regions of Upper Austria and Vorarlberg; the lowest, in the region of Burgenland.

 

Austria

Switzerland

Germany

Personal Computers, 2002*

3,013,000

N/A

35,920,940

Percentage of Population

37%

N/A

43%

Percentage of Growth, 1999-2002

43%

N/A

47%

 

PC Units in Businesss/Government, 2001

1,045,132

1,757,033

12,762,242

Installed base of PC units in the business and government markets

 

Computers Installed in Businesses, 2002

143.96

249.37

128.61

Computers installed in businesses per 1,000 inhabitants

 

Internet Users (estimated), 2003

3,730,000

2,556,000

39,000,000

Percentage of Population

46%

34%

47%

Percentage of Growth, 1999-2002

82%

61%

105%

 

ICT Spending, 2001

$8,891,974,702

$17,025,204,573

$98,260,222,945

Value in US Dollars

Source: CIA-the World Factbook (*) and The Global Information Technology Report 2003-2004

Source: Statistik Austria, 2004

 

 

Cultural Attitudes

From culinary delights to architecture to classical music, culture is a significant aspect of life in Austria. In the 18th century, it was the music center of Europe and the hub of literature, art and science in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Today, as a member of the European Union, Austria is active in European institutions and programs, which support culture, education and research. Due to its location in the middle of eastern and western Europe, Austria has adopted the role of “cultural mediator” (18), promoting cooperation with central, east and southeastern European countries in the fields of culture and education.

A fear of erasing its cultural heritage may be a factor in Austria’s slow adoption of technology. Internally, the Federal Ministry of Education, Science, and Culture is striving to maintain Austria’s cultural heritage in spite of the influx of technology. Within its e-FIT program, one of the eight fields of activity, called “Culture in Cyberspace,” aims to conserve and provide access to the country’s cultural heritage. Though the country recognizes the importance of ICT to be competitive in a global marketplace, the government will need to do more to replace the fears and to spur growth in the ICT sector.