ICT access and use in Nepal and the Global South

1. ICT access and use in Nepal and the Global South Rohan Samarajiva with AfterAccess Team 17 February 2019 Pokhara, Nepal

2. AfterAccess: Nationally representative surveys of ICT access and use by households & individuals aged 15-65 across Global South • Rigorous sampling method, comparable across countries • Predominantly common questionnaire with local customization • Structured, closed-ended responses administered face-to-face using mobile devices • User-based (rather than subscription-based) data allowing for disaggregation by urban-rural, gender, SEC, age, etc. • Asian countries by LIRNEasia. Africa by Research ICT Africa. Latin America by DIRSI • Funded by IDRC (Canada), SIDA (Sweden) and Ford Foundation • Nepal partners: fieldwork - Nielsen Nepal; dissemination, back-check calls, translation checking - Center for Law and Technology and Internet Society

3. To date 18 countries (covering >30% global population); 38,005 face-to-face interviews; +/-3 margin of error; 22 countries by Dec 2018 Sample sizes • Not shown in slides today: • Sri Lanka, Senegal, Uganda & Ecuador • Surveys just completed/surveys about to start/data being analyzed • Watch www.afteraccess.net or www.lirneasia.net Notes: Pakistan excludes AJK, FATA, Gilgit-Baltistan (~2% of population) Sri Lanka data expected by December 2018

4. Nepal sample representative of 15-65 population (95% Confidence Interval; +/-3.3 margin of error) • Sample designed to be representative of 15-65 population at: • National level • Urban-rural level • Men vs Women • SEC (Socio-economic classification : a proxy for income) • The sample is not designed to represent at: • Province level • EDR level • other 2,000 individuals from 2,000 households in • 100 wards Sample GPS locations recorded by CAPI device at time of survey

5. Sample size of 2,000 adequate to represent population at desired levels of disaggregation Sample size calculation Desired level of accuracy set to a confidence level of 95% and an absolute precision (relative margin of error) of 5%. The population proportion p was set conservatively to 0.5 which yields the largest sample size (Lwanga & Lemeshow, 1991). The minimum sample size per tabulation group determined by (Rea & Parker, 1997): Z = Z value (e.g. 1.96 for 95% confidence level) p = percentage picking a choiceC = confidence interval, expressed as decimal (e.g., .05 = ±5) Weighting • Two weights constructed: for households and individuals, based on inverse selection probabilities  data can be extrapolated to national level. Default value of 1.5 was used as the design effect for Nepal. Actual sample size was increased beyond minimum requirement to compensate for clustering effects allow for urban/rural disaggregation of data, as well as gender-based disaggregation. Therefore, in Nepal the sample size was increased to 2,000.

6. This survey in Nepal uses the recent re-classification of urban-rural by the CBS. Makes triangulation/comparison with past data difficult, even at national level • 2011 • 2017 • 460 Gaunpalikas classified as Rural • 3,901 VCDs classified as Rural VDCs were converted to Gaunpalikas. There are 753 local units (Gaunpalikas and Municipalities) in Nepal Nepal was divided in to 3,973 VDCs/Municipalities. • 293 Municipalities (Including metropolitan and sub- metropolitan cities) classified as Urban • 72 Municipalities classified as Urban • AfterAccess sample was designed based on the 2017 new urban-rural classification of wards Source http://cbs.gov.np/image/data/Population/Population%20Monograph%20of%20Nepal%202014/Population%20Monograph%20of%20Nepal%202014%20Volume%20I%20FinalPrintReady1.pdf http://cbs.gov.np/image/data/2017/Population_Ward_Level_753_Local_Unit.pdf

7. Apples vs oranges: A note on comparison of AfterAccess data with supply-side

8. CONNECTIVITY and DEVICE OWNERSHIP

9. 72% of Nepalese aged 15-65 have a mobile phone of some type. Negligible computer ownership Q1: Do you own a mobile phone? Q2: How many active SIM cards do you have, (SIM cards that you used in last 30 days)? Q3: Do you own a personal Desktop computer or Laptop?

10. Lower ownership among rural Nepalese: Rural dwellers 15% less likely to own a mobile compared to urban Urban mobile phone owners (% of urban population) Rural mobile phone owners (% of rural population) ⎻ Urban rural gap in ownership (%) = Urban mobile phone owners (% of urban population) Q: Do you own a mobile phone?

11. How we calculate the gaps •  How much less likely a rural dweller is to own a mobile than an urban one • Same logic applied to gender gap, income group gap, etc. Urban mobile phone owners (% of urban population) Rural mobile phone owners (% of rural population) ⎻ Urban-rural gap in ownership (%) = Urban mobile phone owners (% of urban population)

12. Gender gap in Nepal is the lowest in Asian study countries; Still, women in Nepal 19% less likely to own a mobile than men Male phone owners (% of male population) Female phone owners (% of female population) ⎻ Gender gap in ownership (%) = Male phone owners (% of male population) Q: Do you own a mobile phone?

13. Very low gap in phone ownership between high and low income earners in Nepal; lowest in study countries Above average income phone owners(%) Below average income phone owners(%) Income gap in ownership (%) = Above average income phone owners (%) Q: Do you own a mobile phone?

14. In Nepal more than 60% of the zero income earners own a mobile phone • Who are the zero-income earners (among mobile phone owners)? • 65% live in Urban areas • 69% are women • 53% have secondary or higher education • 40% are 15-25 years old Q: Do you own a mobile phone?

15. 52% of phone owners use a smart phone as the primary device – highest in the region. But 40% still have basic phones (that are not internet enabled). Q: What type of mobile is it?

16. Smartphone very popular among younger Nepalese. Nepal Q: What type of mobile is it?

17. Relatively more smartphones with urban males; Relatively more basic phones with rural females Nepal Q: What type of mobile is it?

18. Lack of need is main reason for not owning a smartphone; 30% cite affordability as a barrier; 20% don’t know how to use one • Q: Please tell me the primary reason why you have chosen not to obtain a smartphone or touch phone handset?

19. 27% of got connected to mobile networks in last 3 years; 51% in the last 5 years Mostly rural, women, low income and zero income earners Q: When did you get your first ever mobile connection (i.e., working handset and SIM card)? [record year] (converted to time since)

20. 28% of Nepalese aged 15-65 mobile owners have more than 1 SIM Slightly skewed towards smart phone owners, urban, men, high income earners and below 25 years Number of SIM cards (% of aged 15-65 mobile phone owners) Q: How many active SIM cards do you have (SIM cards that you used in last 30 days)?

21. INTERNET

22. Only 46% of Nepalese 15-65 know of/have heard of the Internet Q1: Do you know what the Internet is?

23. Awareness low among rural, female, less educated, lower income, basic phone owners and among older people Internet awareness (% of aged 15-65 population) Nepal Q: Do you know what the Internet is?

24. Internet awareness and use among Nepalese high compared to other Asian study countries Q1: Do you know what the Internet is? Q2: Have you ever used the Internet (Gmail, Google, Facebook, email)?

25. Smartphone owners are the highest users of the Internet Q: Have you ever used the Internet (Gmail, Google, Facebook, email)?

26. Internet use ≈ Social media use Q1: Have you ever used the Internet (Gmail, Google, Facebook, email)? Q2: Do you use social media like Facebook, Whatsapp, Twitter etc?

27. Gender divide in Internet use is 33% in Nepal Male internet users (% of male population) Female internet users (% of female population) ⎻ Gender gap in Internet use (%) = Male internet users (% of male population) Q: Have you ever used the Internet (Gmail, Google, Facebook, email)?

28. Rural dwellers 32% less likely to be online compared to urban Urban Internet users (% of urban population) Rural Internet users (% of rural population) ⎻ Urban rural gap in Internet usage (%) = Urban Internet users (% of urban population) Q: Have you ever used the Internet (Gmail, Google, Facebook, email)?

29. Significant difference in Internet use between high educated among less educated in Nepal = • Internet users among users with secondary or higher education (%) • Internet users among users with primary or no education (%) Education gap in Internet use (%) = • Internet users among users with secondary or higher education (%) Secondary or higher educationPrimary or no education Q: Have you ever used the Internet (Gmail, Google, Facebook, email)?

30. In Nepal, high income earners use the Internet most • Who are the zero-income earners (among internet users)? • 70% live in rural areas • 61% are female • 82% have secondary or higher education • 59% are 15-25 years old Q: Have you ever used the Internet (Gmail, Google, Facebook, email)?

31. 22% of Internet users in Nepal, came online less than a year before survey Q: For how many years have you been using the internet? (1 also for less than a year)

32. What limits more use among current users? Data cost, followed by lack of time and poor Internet speed Q: What is your main limitation for your use of the internet? (Single response question)

33. WHAT DO USERS DO WHEN ONLINE?

34. App use among Nepalese with Internet-enabled mobiles higher than inneighboring countries; 77% Q: Are you using these types of mobile apps on your phone?

35. 70% smart/feature phone owners use social media & messaging/texting apps; Significant use of VOIP apps too App use (% of aged 15-65 feature or smartphone owners) Q: Are you using these types of mobile apps on your phone?

36. High gender and urban-rural gaps in social media use in Nepal Q: Do you use social media like Facebook, Whatsapp, Twitter etc?

37. NEPAL BBQoSE

38. Over 24,000 speed tests across Nepl show that broadband speeds are poor; Rural areas are significantly worse off than urban. Nepal test locations Data from 24,515 records in Nepal (8,731 rural, 15,784 urban) Note: The survey teams carried phones with SIM cards from all operators; At least one reading was taken in each ward/primary sampling unit; often more than one reading was taken

39. Performance improvements visible on newer technologies, but even on 4G / LTE latency is still high Lower the better Average latency: 385 ms, Average download speed: 3.08 Mbps, Average upload speed: 1.66 Mbps Lower the better Average latency: 247 ms, Average download speed: 6.83 Mbps, Average upload speed: 2.88 Mbps Benchmarks from IMDA Singapore 300 ms for an International server, 100 ms on 4G / LTE

40. NON INTERNET USERS

41. Why are people not using the Internet? 67% of non-users in Nepal don’t know what the Internet is; 10% don’t know how to; 11% have no interest/find it useful Q: What is the main reason why you do not use the Internet?

42. More women, the less educated and the old people don’t know what the internet is Main reasons for not using the Internet (% of non-Internet users aged 15-65) - I don’t know what internet is Nepal Q: What is the main reason why you do not use the Internet?

43. ONLINE EXPERIENCE and RIGHTS

44. Only 4% of Internet or social media users in Nepal have experienced some form of online harassment Q1: Being called offensive names Q2: Being purposefully embarrassed or criticized in another way (besides being called offensive names) Q3: Being physically threatened Q4: Being sexually harassed Q5: Being approached repeatedly by unwanted contacts (cyber-stalked)

45. Users confronted by “unwanted” material (not necessarily all illegal) in all countries. Minimal incidence in Nepal Q: While using social media were you ever confronted with unwanted offensive or inappropriate material (e.g. sexual content)?

46. Incidence of online bullying is lowest in Nepal Q: Have You Ever Been A Victim Of On-Line Bullying (repeated offensive comments or emails)?

47. 2% of Internet or social media users in Nepal have being victim of cyber crime; Q:To your knowledge have any of your devices or accounts ever been taken over by someone else, either through the internet or in person? (That is, someone else has logged in as you and taken control of your device/account without your knowledge?)

48. SOCIAL MEDIA BEHAVIOR

49. Nepali social media users more will (than neighboring countries) to share their gender and pictures on SM; but less willing to share their sexual orientation Q: What information do you share on social media ?

50. 59% of the Nepali social media users trust the news they read on Social media : highest level of trust among countries studied Q: Can you/do you trust the news you read on Social Media (Facebook etc)?