Sao Paulo - The third edition of F/Radar, a survey conducted by DataFolha and commissioned by F/Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi, has brought to light surprising new data about the use of the Internet in Brazil. The survey took place during March 2008, and involved 2,110 people across more than 150 municipalities, representing all sectors of the Brazilian population.
The findings were surprising not only because they showed a higher number of users than the previous surveys conducted by Ibope/NetRatings, but also because it highlights the democratization process of Internet access in Brazil due to the increasing number of LAN houses and free Internet access venues.
Results show that 47% of adult citizens have Internet access, which represents 59 million of Internet users over the age of 16 nationwide, of which 48% surf the Internet in public places (29% in LAN houses, 10% in schools and 9% in free access venues). ?Additionally they indicate a low correlation between income groups and Internet access.
According to Fernand Alphen, Planning Director at F/Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi, the numbers are even more impressive when compared to other countries. "We made comparisons with other countries including the United States and France, and we established that Brazil is experiencing a unique phenomenon, with a democratization of digital media. In a hypothetical situation, if the Brazilian per capita income were the same as in North America, Brazil would have six times more people with Internet access than the USA (a number higher than the Brazilian population)."
The mapping of Internet users also explored data about Web 2.0, where it was found that 53% of the people surveyed who use the Internet post content on the web. The number of people who claim they have posted comments on news sites has increased from 3% to an impressive 11%, according to the most recent F/Radar survey.
The study conducted by F/Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi also investigated the purchase of bootlegged CDs and DVDs. The results show this is a common practice among the people surveyed. 71% admit to buying pirated CDs, while 61% have at least once purchased illegal DVDs.
According to Alphen, the survey leads us to believe that "Brazil could perform a significant cultural jump in the coming years, and in a short amount of time we will have more educated and well-informed people entering the job market. We could optimistically picture a real cultural revolution of grand proportions already in the works."