EUROPEAN REVIEW

ISSUE 35 - Page 9

Can you use a mouse to launch programs such as an internet browser or a word processor, copy or move a file or folder, use copy and paste tools to duplicate or move information on screen or use basic arithmetic formula (add, subtract, multiply, divide) in a spreadsheet? Or maybe you haven’t got a clue what any of this means? If so, you are not alone; a recent Eurostat survey uncovered worrying levels of ignorance and lack of skill among the EU population when it comes to manipulating a computer.  Across all the EU countries for which figures were available 37% of people were classified as having ’no basic computer skills’. Bottom of the league table was Greece with 65% failing to tick any boxes while Denmark and Sweden came in first and second on 10% and 11%. If you are over 55, have a low level of education and are unemployed you are most likely to come into this category.

                         

Member State		Percentage of population with no basic computer skills, 2005%
		All	Aged 16-24	Aged 25-54	Aged 55-74	Current  Students	With HE  Qualification	Unemployed
Denmark		10	0	3	27	0	3	12
Sweden		11	1	5	27	1	2	10
Luxembourg		20	2	14	45	0	4	36
Germany		21	1	10	--	0	12	16
UK		25	7	17	--	--	7	--
Slovakia		29	3	21	73	1	7	38
Austria		31	5	21	67	2	11	32
EU25		37	10	29	65	4	11	39
Estonia		37	13	29	--	--	24	--
Slovenia		39	--	--	--	--	--	--
Latvia		44	2	38	83	1	16	66
Poland		46	6	45	81	2	11	53
Lithuania		53	11	50	90	1	18	71
Cyprus		54	18	51	88	5	20	52
Portugal		54	13	49	--	1	5	57
Hungary		57	34	50	84	19	17	67
Italy		59	28	50	87	14	2	62
Greece		65	32	59	93	19	23	56