{"id":28709,"date":"2018-10-09T09:46:29","date_gmt":"2018-10-09T14:46:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/2018\/10\/09\/internet-connectivity-seen-as-having-positive-impact-on-life-in-sub-saharan-africa-2\/"},"modified":"2024-04-14T04:11:25","modified_gmt":"2024-04-14T09:11:25","slug":"internet-connectivity-seen-as-having-positive-impact-on-life-in-sub-saharan-africa-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/global\/2018\/10\/09\/internet-connectivity-seen-as-having-positive-impact-on-life-in-sub-saharan-africa-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Internet Connectivity Seen as Having Positive Impact on Life in Sub-Saharan Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Young Somali women look at a smartphone at Dadaab refugee complex, in northeast Kenya, on April 16. (Yasuyoshi Chiba\/AFP\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/figure>\n\n
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Sub-Saharan Africa has experienced dramatic gains in internet use in recent years. With this rapid growth in connectivity have come a host of potential problems, including fake news<\/a>, political targeting and manipulation<\/a> and financial scams<\/a>, among others. Yet according to a new Pew Research Center analysis, most sub-Saharan Africans feel positively about the role the internet plays in their country. Large majorities say the increasing use of the internet has had a good<\/em> influence on education in their country, and half or more say the same about the economy, personal relationships and politics.<\/p>\n\n

Only when it comes to the issue of morality are sub-Saharan Africans somewhat more divided about the role the internet is playing. Across six major nations surveyed in the region, a median of 45% say the internet has had a positive impact on morality, while 39% say it is has been negative. These views vary substantially by country. For example, a majority of Nigerians (57%) believe the internet is having a good influence on morality, while more than half of Senegalese (54%) say the opposite.<\/p>\n\n

Still, in some countries, evaluations of how the internet affects morality have improved since 2014. In Ghana today, 42% think that growing internet use has a positive effect on morality \u2013 up from 29% in 2014. Favorable assessments of the internet\u2019s impact on economics and politics have risen even more over the same time period. For example, in 2017, around two-thirds of Nigerians (64%) said the increasing use of the internet had a positive influence on their country\u2019s politics, compared with just 43% in 2014.<\/p>\n\n

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Generally, internet users \u2013meaning people who say they use the internet or own an internet-connected smartphone \u2013 are more positive about its influence. For example, in all countries but Tanzania, internet users are more likely to think the internet plays a positive role in the country\u2019s politics.<\/p>\n\n

In most countries, these gaps in attitudes between internet haves and have-nots persist whether looking at issues of morality, education, or even the economy. For instance, 72% of Ghanaian internet users see economic benefits stemming from greater connectivity, compared with 54% of non-users, and the pattern is the same in Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria.<\/p>\n\n

These are among the major findings of a Pew Research Center survey conducted in six sub-Saharan African countries from Feb. 21 to April 28, 2017, among 6,795 respondents.<\/p>\n\n

The survey also finds that sub-Saharan Africans primarily use the internet and their mobile phones for social and entertainment purposes, though many also use their mobile devices for sending and receiving payments. Still, people are more likely to engage in nearly all activities \u2013 even basic ones like texting \u2013 if they have smartphones, suggesting the emergence of a new digital divide based on phone type. The survey also highlights long-standing digital divides along demographic lines: Higher-income, more-educated and younger people are consistently more likely to use the internet, own a smartphone and engage in social networking.<\/p>\n\n

Internet use increases across sub-Saharan Africa; share with a smartphone doubles<\/h3>\n\n
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Globally, internet use is much more common in wealthier countries. The percentage of people who are online in each country is highly correlated with countries\u2019 gross domestic product per capita (PPP). Regionally, internet use is lowest in sub-Saharan Africa, where a median of 41% across six countries use the internet. South Africa (59%) is the only country in the region where at least half the population is online.<\/p>\n\n

Still, the gap in internet use between emerging and advanced economies has narrowed<\/a>. Whereas internet use in many of the world\u2019s advanced economies has plateaued in recent years<\/a>, use in sub-Saharan Africa has notably increased. In 2014, 15% of sub-Saharan Africans owned a smartphone, compared with 33% who own one today. The number of people connected to the internet is likely to continue to rise, too; industry projections suggest that the smartphone adoption rate in sub-Saharan Africa will double by 2025<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n