Africans are increasingly online, but awareness, practice of digital safety remain low, Afrobarometer telephone survey across seven African countries shows

On average across Angola, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, and Tanzania, a majority of respondents say they worry about the security of their personal data online and believe their mobile phones are the most vulnerable devices to digital threats

Most adults across seven African countries access the Internet frequently, but many remain unfamiliar with digital security measures and practice them inconsistently if at all, an Afrobarometer (www.Afrobarometer.org) telephone survey (https://apo-opa.co/4sdrWRo) shows.

On average across Angola, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, and Tanzania, a majority of respondents say they worry about the security of their personal data online and believe their mobile phones are the most vulnerable devices to digital threats. Many respondents are unaware of online protection tools, and few apply online safety tools and practices, especially those that provide stronger protection, such as two-factor authentication, VPNs, and antivirus software.

Respondents tend to rely heavily on informal sources, such as social media and friends or family, for guidance on digital safety, while more structured resources – such as workplace training or online tutorials – are less frequently used.

Though limited to seven countries and respondents over age 17, these findings highlight significant gaps in digital literacy and suggest a need for targeted education and accessible resources to ensure that Africa’s growing digital footprint is both empowering and secure.

Key findings?

• On average across the seven surveyed countries, among adults who access Internet content, a vast majority (84%) say they do so “every day” or “a few times a week” (Figure 1).

• Mobile phones are the primary mechanism for accessing the Internet (85%).
• Young adults (aged 18-35) are more likely to be regular Internet users (87%) than older cohorts (74%-83%).

• More than eight in 10 respondents (82%) say they get news “every day” or “a few times a week” from social media platforms (Figure 2). In addition, half (51%) say they get news regularly from other Internet sites.
• More than half (52%) express concern about the security of their personal information online, and 81% think mobile phones are more vulnerable to harmful online activities than computers and other devices (Figure 3).
• Only about one-third (32%) of respondents consider themselves “somewhat” (22%) or “very” (10%) familiar with tools and skills they can use to protect their digital privacy and information (Figure 4).
• Use of protective tools and practices by Internet users is highly variable (Figure 5):

• More than seven in 10 (72%) say they use strong passwords to protect their online information, though only about half (52%) of Beninese make that claim.
• Other security measures are much less commonly used, including two-factor authentication (33%), antivirus software (30%), and virtual private networks (VPNs)(21%).

• Most respondents rely on friends and family (62%) and/or social media (60%) to learn about online safety tools (Figure 6).
• Fewer than half turn to online videos/tutorials (48%), news articles/websites (32%), and the workplace (29%) as sources of information about online safety.

Afrobarometer Calling

Afrobarometer is a pan-African, nonpartisan survey research network that provides reliable data on African experiences and evaluations of democracy, governance, and quality of life. For its standard surveys, national partners in about 40 African countries conduct face-to-face interviews in the language of the respondent’s choice with nationally representative samples of 1,200-2,400 respondents.

Between standard survey rounds, Afrobarometer also conducts more limited telephone surveys on emerging or time-sensitive topics under its Afrobarometer Calling (https://apo-opa.co/4shOwZq) label. Between 6 September and 8 November 2024, partners surveyed national samples of 1,200 adults (aged 18 and above) who had mobile phones and said they access Internet content. The surveys were conducted in Angola, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, and Tanzania and focused on digital use and cybersecurity awareness.

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