Citizens’ Information Awareness

According to opinion polls conducted in 2007, Poles are becoming increasingly happier. Every other Pole declares his or her satisfaction with life. They often experience joy (37%)-every sixth Pole does so as often as every day. As the standard of living and income increase, Poles also reserve more time for themselves. In their leisure time, they like to use information sources: they browse web pages (66%), read books and the press (65%), and two thirds of society in their spare time watch TV, which for Poles is the main information source. In 2007, almost every household (97%) had a colour TV, and every fifth household had more than one TV set. The radio, press and the Internet rank below television on the list of popular information sources.

Poles commonly use the Internet in search of information. The number of Internet users is growing exponentially. While in 2004, only one in 10 Poles used the web, the situation improved significantly in 2007: 40% of society surfed the net, and 54% of Polish households had a computer. Interestingly, the more Poles use the Internet, the less they watch the TV - in comparison with 2004, the number of people watching TV dropped by 20% among Internet users. It also turns out that the average Internet user reads much more than the average Pole. As many as 86% of Internet users have read at least one book over the last 6 months, and the result is better than the national average of 58%. Even though an increasing number of people are using the web, as many as 76% of them consider books to be a more credible information source than Internet resources. Only 13% of web enthusiasts believe that the Internet is more credible and prefer this medium to the printed word. As far as finding quick answers to specific questions is concerned, the Internet is an undisputed leader-for no less than 93% of Internet users.

Globalization, falling computer hardware prices, and lower costs of fixed Internet connections are contributing to the development of information society in Poland. In a society where information is a strategic resource, a citizen can communicate with government agencies electronically, and a doctor can e-mail an X-ray image to a patient. The higher the percentage of Poles who use the Internet, the higher their information awareness. A better educated society means a more competitive economy where knowledge determines the common future.