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Survey on the Use of Information and Communication Technologies and Electronic Commerce in Companies

• 1Contact
  • 1.1Contact organisation
    National Statistics Institute of Spain
    
  • 1.5Contact mail address

    Avenida de Manoteras 50-52 - 28050 Madrid

    
    
• 2Metadata update
  • 2.1Metadata last certified
    14/10/2024
  • 2.2Metadata last posted
    21/10/2024
  • 2.3Metadata last update
    14/10/2024
• 3Statistical presentation
  • 3.1Data description

    The objective of the Survey on ICT and Electronic Commerce Use in Enterprises is to obtain and disseminate harmonised and comparable information regarding ICT use and electronic commerce on a European level. The data is obtained directly from the Legal Units.
    The data corresponding to this statistical operation is collected by the INE, following the indications from the European statistics office (Eurostat). Said indications are reflected in the annual questionnaire model on the Survey on ICT usage and e-commerce in enterprise . This questionnaire model provides a great variety of variables, which cover the following areas, among others:
    • General information regarding the ICT systems.
    • Internet access and use.
    • Electronic commerce (e-commerce).
    • Ad-hoc modules included regarding specific and relevant ICT-related subjects. Some of the modules included in the last years are the following: ICT specialists; Artificial intelligence; Internet of things (IoT); cloud computing; investment and expenditure on ICT;  Sharing of information electronically within the enterprise;  ICT Security; Big data analysis...

    IMPORTANT NOTE ON THE STATISTICAL CONCEPT OF 'ENTERPRISE':

    In accordance with the European Statistical System, for 2021-2022 the Survey on ICT usage and e-commerce in enterprises (ICT Survey) have implemented a new practical application of the statistical concept of 'Enterprise'. The reasons and details of the adaptation of the statistical concept of the Enterprise were announced by the INE in a Press Release of December 17, 2019.

    Under this new approach, an Enterprise can be formed by one or several Legal Units, and in the latter case, the Statistical Enterprise will condense the economic and employment variables of the Legal Units that comprise it. This criterion differs from that previously applied, by which each separate Legal Unit was considered a business. Although the new approach affects only Legal Units that are part of business groups -which are highly relevant entities in terms of economics and employment- the statistical results of the ICT Survey and its distribution by activities and sizes is affected. So that users can compare the ICT Survey data under the traditional approach (based on separate Legal Units) and the new approach (based on Statistical Enterprises for the 2021-2022 reference period the INE has released both versions of the statistical results.

    Since the reference period 2022-2023 , for the purposes of disseminating results, only the version based on Statistical Enterprises will prevail.

  • 3.2Classification system
    • Area negocio TIC
      1   Ciberseguridad
      2   Inteligencia artificial
      3   Datos
      4   Computación en la nube
      O   Resto
    • Gasto en TIC
      1   Gasto total en bienes de Tecnologías de la Información y de Comunicación
      2   Gasto total en software, estándar o a medida
      3   Gasto total en servicios y consulta de tecnologías de la información, servicios de telecomunicaciones o de otros servicios TIC
      4   Gasto total en seguridad TIC
      5   Gasto en sistemas de inteligencia artificial
      O   Otros gastos en TIC
    • Origen de datos
      1   Datos de registros de transacciones, como detalles de ventas, registros de pagos
      2   Datos de clientes, como información de compra del cliente, ubicación, preferencias, reseñas de clientes, búsquedas, etc.
      3   Datos de redes sociales, incluidos los propios perfiles de redes sociales de su empresa
      4   Datos web
      5   Datos de ubicación a partir del uso de dispositivos portátiles o vehículos
      6   Datos de dispositivos inteligentes o sensores
      7   Datos abiertos de autoridades gubernamentales
      8   Datos de satélites
    • Proveedor (externo interno)
      1   Empleados de la propia empresa
      2   Proveedores externos
    • Redes sociales
      1   Redes sociales
      2   Blogs de empresas o microblogs
      3   Websites que comparten contenido multimedia
      4   Herramientas para compartir conocimientos basadas en Wiki (sitio web cuyas páginas pueden ser editadas por múltiples voluntarios a través del navegador web)
    • Servicio de paginas web
      1   Presentación de la empresa
      2   Recepción de pedidos o reservas on-line
      3   Acceso a catálogos de productos o a listas de precios
      4   Posibilidad de personalizar o diseñar los productos por parte de los clientes
      5   Seguimiento on-line de pedidos
      6   Personalización de la página web para usuarios habituales
      7   Vínculos o referencias a los perfiles de la empresa en los medios sociales
      8   Declaración de política de intimidad, salvaguarda de la privacidad o certificación relacionada con la seguridad del sitio web
      9   Anuncios de ofertas de trabajo o recepción de solicitudes de trabajo on-line
      10   Posibilidad de envío electrónico de hojas de reclamaciones
      11   Descripción de bienes o servicios, información de precios
      12   Servicio de chat para atención al cliente
      13   Contenido disponible en al menos dos idiomas
    • Uso de redes sociales
      1   Desarrollar la imagen de la empresa o productos de mercado
      2   Recibir o enviar opiniones de clientes, reseñas, preguntas
      3   Involucrar a los clientes en el desarrollo o innovación de los bienes o servicios
      4   Colaborar con socios comerciales u otras organizaciones
      5   Selección de personal
      6   Intercambiar puntos de vista, opiniones o conocimiento dentro de la empresa
    • Uso de tecnología de inteligencia artificial
      1   Marketing o ventas
      2   Procesos de producción
      3   Organización de procesos de administración de empresas
      4   Gestión de empresas
      5   Logística
      6   Seguridad de las TIC
      7   Gestión de recursos humanos o contratación
      8   Gestión contable, de control o financiera
      9   Actividades de investigación y desarrollo (I+D) o innovación (excluida la investigación sobre IA)
  • 3.3Sector coverage

    This statistical operation includes information regarding the following activities, classified according to NACE rev.2.

    1. Section C: Manufacturing industry.
    2. Section D: Supply of electrical energy, gas, steam and air conditioning.
    3. Section E: Water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation activities.
    4. Section F: Construction.
    5. Section G: Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles.
    6. Section H: Transport and storage.
    7. Section I: Accommodation services and food and beverage services.
    8. Section J: Information and communications.
    9. Section L: Real estate activities.
    10. Section M: Professional, scientific and technical activities.
    11. Section N: Administrative and support services activities.
    12. Group 95.1. Repair of computers and communication equipment

    Size class breakdown of Legal Unit:

             1. Less of 10

             2. 10 or more

     

  • 3.4Statistical concepts and definitions
    • Cloud computing
      ICT services that are used via the Internet for access to software, computation capacity, storage capacity, etc.
      Said services have the following characteristics:
      - They are delivered or available in servers that are providers thereof
      - They can increase or decrease easily (for example, an increase or decrease in the number of users, the amount of storage capacity, etc.)
      - They may be used according to the needs of the user, without the need to interact with the service provider.
    • Company
      The company is the smallest combination of legal units that is an organizational unit producing goods or
      services, which benefits from a certain degree of autonomy in decision-making, especially for the
      allocation of its current resources. A company carries out one or more activities at one or more
      locations. A company may be a sole legal unit.
    • CRM (Customer Relationship Management)
      Computer tools dedicated to the integrated management of client information. These applications allow, from storing and organising this information, to integrating processing and analysing said information.
    • DSL (Digital Subscriber Line)
      The DSL, or digital subscriber line, is a term used to refer globally to all those technologies that provide a digital connection over a subscriber line of the local telephone network.
    • E-commerce (EC)
      Transactions carried out via networks based on Internet protocols (TCP/IP) or on other telematic networks. The goods and services are hired through these networks, but the payment or delivery of the product may be performed off-line, through any other channel. Orders placed over the telephone, by fax or by written email are not considered e-commerce.
    • EDI (Electronic Data Interchange)
      Electronic Data Interchange-type messages, understanding the term, "EDI" as the general means of defining the mailing or receipt of information relating to the sale, in an agreed format that may be processed automatically (for example, EDIFACT, UBL, XML...). This excludes those messages or emails written manually.
    • Electronic invoice
      There are two types of electronic invoice:
      - Electronic invoices that allow automatic computer processing (for example, EDI, UBL, XML, facturae, etc.). That is, the data contained can be read and processed automatically by the computer, without the involvement of a person or an Optical Character Recognition (OCR) programme. This type of invoice can be exchanged between providers and clients directly, or through the electronic invoicing services or electronic banking services providers.
      - Electronic invoices that doe not allow automatic computer processing (for example, PDF, printed scanned invoices, etc.)
    • ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning)
      Group of computer tools that enable managing the processes and information corresponding to the different business areas of a company in an integrated way. In general, an ERP system integrates the management of the planning, supply, logistics, sales, marketing, customer services, finances and human resources areas.
    • Fixed broadband connection
      Network capable of reaching high transmission speeds (for example, DSL connection, cable and fibre optic networks and other fixed connections)
    • Internet
      International network for the exchange of information, based on the connection of multiple networks and multiple services with multiple users, by means of standardised information exchange protocols.
    • Local Area Network (LAN)
      Network of inter-connected computers within a limited area.
    • Mobile broadband connection
      Type of Internet connection through the following mobile devices:
      - Portable computers (for example, tablet, notebook, netbook, laptop, Ultra Mobile PC, etc.)
      - Other mobile devices (for example, smartphone, PDA phone, etc.)
    • PDA (Personal Digital Assistant)
      A PDA or Personal Digital Assistant is a hand-held computer originally designed as an electronic agenda (calendar, phone list, notebook and reminder), with a writing recognition system. Nowadays, it can be used as a personal computer (to watch movies, create documents, games, email, surf the Internet, listen to music, etc.)
    • RFID (Radio Frequency Identification)
      Automatic identification system or method that enables storing and recovering data remotely, through devises known as radio frequency identification "labels, transponders or tags". An RFID tag is a device that can be incorporated into a product or object, and which transmits information by radio frequency.
    • XML (eXtensible Markup Language)
      XML, eXtensible Markup Language, is a metalanguage that enables defining the grammar of specific languages. It is not actually a particular language, but rather a means of defining languages for different needs. Some of the languages that use XML for their definition are XHTML, SVG, MathML.
  • 3.5Statistical unit

    The basic statistical unit for these operations is the enterprise, which is understood as “the smallest combination of legal units that is an organizational unit producing goods or services, which benefits from a certain degree of autonomy in decision-making, especially for the allocation of its current resources. An enterprise carries out one or more activities at one or more locations. An enterprise may be a sole legal unit “’ (definition of the Regulation of the European Union 696/93).

    As previously explained in section 3.1, a new operational concept for 'Enterprise' is applied for the 2021-2022 ICT Survey, which we will hereinafter call the Statistical Enterprise and which differs from previous years in that, beginning this year, the Enterprise = Legal Unit analogy will no longer always be true. In other words, some Statistical Enterprises may be made up of two or more Legal Units.

     

    The reporting unit , or rather, the unit from which the basic information is obtained is the Legal Unit. Given that it is perfectly defined and located and has accounting and employment data, the answer is facilitated and homogeneous information is obtained. The Legal Units can be legal persons (mercantile enterprises) or physical persons (individual entrepreneurs).

     

     

    And so:

    • Under the Legal Unit approach as a statistical unit, the information is obtained from the Legal Units, and the statistics are prepared under said Legal Units.
    • Under the Statistical enterprise approach as a statistical unit, the information is obtained from each of the Legal Units that make up the enterprise, and the statistics are prepared by grouping (and where necessary, consolidating) the variables of all the Legal Units that make up the the enterprise.

     

  • 3.6Statistical population

    All statistical unit enterprises which headquarter is in Spain  and whose main activity may be found in the sections of NACE rev.2 described in section 3.3.    

  • 3.7Reference area

    This statistical operation targets those statistical unit enterprises with headquarters anywhere within the national territory.  Variables of the ICT usage are broken down by Autonomous communities and Autonomus cities. 

  • 3.8Time coverage

    The data published by the INE with regard to this statistical operation is annual, from 2001 onwards.

  • 3.9Base period

    For the 2021-2022 reference period, the new practical application of the statistical concept of 'enterprise' is implemented. This change affects the statistical results of the ICT Survey, and its distribution by activities and sizes. So that users can compare the ICT Survey data under the traditional approach (based on separate Legal Units) and the new approach (based on Statistical enterprises), for the 2021-2022 reference period the INE has released both versions of the statistical results .

    Since the reference year 2022-2023, only the version based on Statistical enterprises will prevail.

     

• 4Unit of measure
  • 4.1Unit of measure

    - % de enterprises

    - % de persons employed

    - Thousands of euros (e-commerce Sales)

• 5Reference period
  • 5.1Reference period

    The reference period of the data on the ICT use variables is the survey collection time of year 2024, while for the general information, electronic commerce, etc., it is the annual period immediately preceding the collection year 2023.

    Data referred to the period: Anual A: 2024

• 6Institutional mandate
  • 6.1Legal acts and other agreements

    The compilation and dissemination of the data are governed by the Statistical Law No. 12/1989 "Public Statistical Function" of May 9, 1989, and Law No. 4/1990 of June 29 on “National Budget of State for the year 1990" amended by Law No. 13/1996 "Fiscal, administrative and social measures" of December 30, 1996, makes compulsory all statistics included in the National Statistics Plan. The National Statistical Plan 2009-2012 was approved by the Royal Decree 1663/2008. It contains the statistics that must be developed in the four year period by the State General Administration's services or any other entity dependent on it. All statistics included in the National Statistics Plan are statistics for state purposes and are obligatory. The National Statistics Plan 2021-2024, approved by Royal Decree 1110/2020, of 15  December, is the Plan currently implemented. This statistical operation has governmental purposes, and it is included in the National Statistics Plan 2021-2024. (Statistics of the State Administration).

    
    

    This statistical operation is regulated, pursuant to European Parliament and Council Regulation (EC) no. 2019/2152, on European Business Statistics.

    The Spanish language version of the European Union norms affecting this statistical operation is accessible via: https://www.ine.es/normativa/leyes/UE/minine.htm#30169

  • 6.2Data sharing
    The exchanges of information needed to elaborate statistics between the INE and the rest of the State statistical offices (Ministerial Departments, independent bodies and administrative bodies depending on the State General Administration), or between these offices and the Autonomic statistical offices, are regulated in the LFEP (Law of the Public Statistic Function). This law also regulates the mechanisms of statistical coordination, and concludes cooperation agreements between the different offices when necessary.
    

    There are two types of agreement for the data distribution:

    A. Framework Agreements between the INE and the statistics institutions of the Autonomous Communities.

    Via said agreements, it is established that the INE will send the non-anonymised microdata file for their territorial area to those Autonomous Communities with which it has an agreement. Currently, this is sent to all of the Autonomous Communities, except Castilla y León, Ceuta,  Melilla and País Vasco.

    B. Agreements between the INE and other public institutions.         

    Different types of collaboration are established between the INE and the specific institution through said agreements. Each agreement has its own objective, which is usually related to specific tabulations, sample designs, etc. The agreements currently in force are the Ministry of Energy, Tourism and Digital Agenda, through the Red.es Public Business Entity; Government of Aragon; Galician institute of statistics; Community of Madrid and Madrid City Council.

• 7Confidentiality
  • 7.1Confidentiality - policy

    The Statistical Law No. 12/1989 specifies that the INE cannot publish, or make otherwise available, individual data or statistics that would enable the identification of data for any individual person or entity. Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics stipulates the need to establish common principles and guidelines ensuring the confidentiality of data used for the production of European statistics and the access to those confidential data with due account for technical developments and the requirements of users in a democratic society

    
    
  • 7.2Confidentiality - data treatment
    INE provides information on the protection of confidentiality at all stages of the statistical process: INE questionnaires for the operations in the national statistical plan include a legal clause protecting data under statistical confidentiality. Notices prior to data collection announcing a statistical operation notify respondents that data are subject to statistical confidentiality at all stages. For data processing, INE employees have available the INE data protection handbook, which specifies the steps that should be taken at each stage of processing to ensure reporting units' individual data are protected. The microdata files provided to users are anonymised.
    

    This statistical operation follows all of the guidelines referring to meeting and safeguarding statistical secrecy.

• 8Release policy
  • 8.1Release calendar

    The advance release calendar that shows the precise release dates for the coming year is disseminated in the last quarter of each year.

    
    
  • 8.2Release calendar access

    The calendar is disseminated on the INEs Internet website (Publications Calendar)

    
    
  • 8.3User access

    The data are released simultaneously according to the advance release calendar to all interested parties by issuing the press release. At the same time, the data are posted on the INE's Internet website (www.ine.es/en) almost immediately after the press release is issued. Also some predefined tailor-made requests are sent to registered users. Some users could receive partial information under embargo as it is publicly described in the European Statistics Code of Practice

    
    
• 9Frequency of dissemination
  • 9.1Frequency of dissemination

    The results of this statistical operation are published annually.

• 10Accessibility and clarity
  • 10.1News release

    The results of the statistical operations are normally disseminated by using press releases that can be accessed via both the corresponding menu and the Press Releases Section in the web

    
    
  • 10.2Publications

    The results of this statistical operation are disseminated in a press release published on the INE website. Press release and the detailed results may be viewed at the following link: https://www.ine.es/dyngs/INEbase/en/operacion.htm?c=Estadistica_C&cid=1254736176743&menu=ultiDatos&idp=1254735576799

    Some results are also included in general publications, such as the Statistical Yearbook, INE Figures, etc.

  • 10.3On-line database

    INEbase is the system the INE uses to store statistical information on the Internet. It contains all the information the INE produces in electronic formats. The primary organisation of the information follows the theme-based classification of the Inventory of Statistical Operations of the State General Administration . The basic unit of INEbase is the statistical operation, defined as the set of activities that lead to obtaining statistical results on a determined sector or subject based on the individually collected data. Also included in the scope of this definition are synthesis preparation.

    
    

    The data from this statistical operation may be viewed in INEbase, within the "INEbase /Science and Technology / New information and communication technologies" section in www.ine.es. More specifically, it may be viewed at the following link:https://www.ine.es/dyngs/INEbase/es/operacion.htm?c=Estadistica_C&cid=1254736176743&menu=ultiDatos&idp=1254735576692 the website with the database may be accessed. The structure of said database is as follows:

    Results on Statistical Unit Enterprise

    1. National results. 

    • Enterprises with 10 or more employees: E-commerce in <year t-1> for group of economic activity (except CNAE 56, 64-66 and 95.1) and size of the enterprise
    • Enterprises with 10 or more employees: ICT usage in (first quarter <year t> )for group of economic activity (except CNAE 56, 64-66 and 95.1) and size of the enterprise
    • Enterprises with less than 10 employees: E-commerce in <year t-1>
    • Enterprises with less than 10 employees: ICT usage in the enterprises (first quarter of <year t>)

    2. Results by Autonomous City or Community.

    • ICT usage in the enterprises with 10 or more employees (first quarter of <year t>) by group of economic activity (except CNAE 56, 64-66 and 95.1) and size of the enterprise
    • ICT usage in the enterprises with less than 10 employees  (first quarter of <year t>)

    3. Sampling errors

    Results on Legal Units

    1. National results. 

    • Enterprises with 10 or more employees: E-commerce in <year t-1> for group of economic activity (except CNAE 56, 64-66 and 95.1) and size of the enterprise
    • Enterprises with 10 or more employees: ICT usage in (first quarter <year t> )for group of economic activity (except CNAE 56, 64-66 and 95.1) and size of the enterprise
    • Enterprises with less than 10 employees: E-commerce in <year t-1>
    • Enterprises with less than 10 employees: ICT usage in the enterprises (first quarter of <year t>)

    2. Results by Autonomous City or Community.

    • ICT usage in the enterprises with 10 or more employees (first quarter of <year t>) by group of economic activity (except CNAE 56, 64-66 and 95.1) and size of the enterprise
    • ICT usage in the enterprises with less than 10 employees  (first quarter of <year t>)

    3. Sampling errors

    Users may make multiple queries, crossing the (1) Autonomous City or Community, (2) variable of interest and (3) activity grouping. In the case of micro-companies (fewer than 10 employees), users may make queries, crossing the (1) Autonomous City or Community and (2) variable of interest.

     

     

  • 10.4Micro-data access
    A lot of statistical operations disseminate public domain anonymized files, available free of charge for downloading in the INE website Microdata Section
    

    Any researcher who wants access to the microdata must sign an agreement with the National Statistics institute, for access for statistical purposes, by the research personnel, to the confidential data from the INE. The agreement describes the project, and the need to access said microdata, specifies the period during which the research time would work in the INE, provides the name of the research team and establishes the agreement clauses, including the statistical confidentiality clause.

    This access is made through the so-called Secure Places, which consist of computers where said databases are available, and which verify a series of physical and technological provisions to protect the security and integrity of the statistical databases, which in practice implies that strict protocols are applied to those external users who wish to access the microdata for research purposes.

  • 10.5Other

    Access to the information from this statistical operation is not only restricted to that available in INEbase within the "INEbase / Science and Technology / New information and communication technologies" section in www.ine.es/en/, specifically at the following link: https://www.ine.es/dyngs/INEbase/en/operacion.htm?c=Estadistica_C&cid=1254736176743&menu=ultiDatos&idp=1254735576799.

    In addition to the information available there, users may submit tailor-made requests to the Customer Care Department of the INE, through the following link: https://www.ine.es/ss/Satellite?L=1&c=Page&cid=1254735550786&p=1254735550786&pagename=ProductosYServicios%2FPYSLayout&rendermode=previewnoinsitem. Said requests consist of performing specific tabulations using the microdata file. In order to perform the request made, the unit responsible for the statistical operation studies its viability, and prepares a quote for carrying it out, which must be accepted prior to performing the tabulation.

  • 10.6Documentation on methodology

    The methodological manual describing the features of this statistical operation may be viewed at the following link:https://www.ine.es/dyngs/INEbase/en/operacion.htm?c=Estadistica_C&cid=1254736176743&menu=ultiDatos&idp=1254735576799. The questionnaires from the previous editions of this statistical operation may also be viewed at this link.

  • 10.7Quality documentation

    Fields 10.6 to 17 of this document may be considered the quality report intended for users for this operation.

    Based on Regulation (EU) 2019/2152 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2019 on European business statistics, the European Commission, through the European Statistics Office (Eurostat), assesses the quality of the data transmitted, and publishes quality reports of European statistics. To this end, each country provides information on the variation coefficients of the characteristics included therein, and with the requested breakdown level, as well as non-response data. The quality report contains quantitative and qualitative information. Eurostat provides information on the main quantitative indicators, which are calculated based on the data provided by the Member States.

    From the unit responsible for this statistical operation, two reports are sent to Eurostat:

    1. Intermediate quality report, which must be sent prior to the end of the May from the period during which the statistical operation is performed.
    2. Final quality report, which must be sent at the beginning of November from the period during which the statistical operation is performed.
• 11Quality management
  • 11.1Quality assurance

    Quality assurance framework for the INE statistics is based on the ESSCoP, the European Statistics Code of Practice made by EUROSTAT. The ESSCoP is made up of 16 principles, gathered in three areas: Institutional Environment, Processes and Products. Each principle is associated with some indicators which make possible to measure it. In order to evaluate quality, EUROSTAT provides different tools: the indicators mentioned above, Self-assessment based on the DESAP model, peer review, user satisfaction surveys and other proceedings for evaluation.

    
    

    The compilation process of this statistical operation has established controls in the information collection process to detect and correct errors, for the purpose of guaranteeing their quality. Said controls are implemented in the computer application that enables respondents to fill in the questionnaire online. This means guarantees that the information arrives, at an individual level, without response coherence errors or magnitude aggregation errors. In addition, once the information is received in the unit responsible for this statistical operation, the data from the specific respondent units is compared with the item of data from the stratum to which they belong.

  • 11.2Quality assessment

    Main strengths:

    . Timing: the survey is collected in the first quarter of the reference year and published in October of that same year, being one of the fastest structural surveys of the INE in this regard.

    . Response rate: since the survey is collected through the Iria web portal, the response rate is usually very high. This allows us to have very low sampling errors in general, which affects the accuracy of the data.

    . Flexibility: This survey changes a lot from year to year as technologies change. This survey is designed to collect all the technologies that are contemplated by Eurostat, as well as the technologies that are suggested to us by other national agents.

    Qualitative improvements:

    . The strong point about flexibility creates a problem: the questionnaire can be too long if you try to cover too many technologies in the questionnaire. It is difficult to balance the number of questions to ask, therefore every year it is necessary to decide on which technologies to include and discard in the questionnaire, in consensus with all the agents involved (Eurostat, national agents, INE's own needs ...)

    . Complicated terms: many terms in the questionnaire are very complicated for informants in general, so it is always tried to include clarifications, definitions, annexes ... within the questionnaire to clarify these terms.

• 12Relevance
  • 12.1User needs

    This statistical operation provides relevant information regarding the Information Society for the following spectrum of users:

    1. Public entities, that is, public companies and institutions in charge of analysing the degree of implementation of the ICTs in general in our society, or through specific questions, on some specific aspect relating to the ICTs from a business perspective.
    2. Public and private universities and research centres, for carrying out research studies in the sector.
    3. Private entities, that is, all those companies that use or produce ICT-related devices, or that carry out electronic commerce.
    4. Individuals.

    Each one of these users have different needs, according to the purpose and use they will make of the information they require.

  • 12.2User satisfaction

    The INE has carried out general user satisfaction surveys in 2007, 2010, 2013,  2016 and 2019 and it plans to continue doing so every three years. The purpose of these surveys is to find out what users think about the quality of the information of the INE statistics and the extent to which their needs of information are covered. In addition, additional surveys are carried out in order to acknowledge better other fields such as dissemination of the information, quality of some publications...

    On the INE website, in its section Methods and Projects / Quality and Code of Practice / INE quality management / User surveys are available surveys conducted to date.(Click  next link)

     

    
    

    The specific needs of users are borne in mind, so long as methodological revisions of the survey are carried out. In this way, and based on the regulation governing it, the content thereof is adapted as much as possible to the specific requirements of its users, increasing their satisfaction levels.

    In the User Satisfaction Surveys conducted to date, it is possible to view the evaluation of the sector Sciencie and Technology in which this statistical operation is centred, which can help direct us with regard to user opinions of it.

  • 12.3Completeness

    This statistical operation provides all of the information required in European Parliament and Council Regulation (EC) no. 2019/2152, on European Business Statistics. R1=100% of questions of Eurostat questionnaire are provided. The statistical operation also includes micro-enterprises, which are considered optional in the prior regulatory framework.

• 13Accuracy and reliability
  • 13.1Overall accuracy

    For assessing, controlling and improving the global precision of this statistical operation, a comprehensive monitoring is performed of the errors occurring during the statistical process. These errors include those associated with the sampling procedure and those not associated with said procedure, such as incidences in the fieldwork, non-response rates, etc.

  • 13.2Sampling error

    The calculation of the standard errors or of variation coefficients, in addition to their need to control the quality of the statistical operation, is performed as a fundamental part of the quality reports that must be submitted to Eurostat for the control of the process and the standardisation thereof on a European level.

    These may be viewed at the following link, as of the 2013-2014 edition:

    https://www.ine.es/dyngs/INEbase/en/operacion.htm?c=Estadistica_C&cid=1254736176743&menu=resultados&idp=1254735576799

    Eticce 23-24: for the variable "Percentage of companies that have made sales through their own website or app," A1 = 0.54%

     

     

     

  • 13.3Non-sampling error

    As part of the control of the quality and precision of this statistical operation, a comprehensive monitoring is performed of the non-sampling errors that occur during the statistical process, such as incidences in the fieldwork, non-response rates, etc.

    The non-response rate was A4= 21.3% for the enterprises with 0-9 persons employed, and A4=4.7% for the enterprises with 10 or more persons employed.

    A7=0 for the enterprises with 10 or more persons employed

• 14Timeliness and punctuality
  • 14.1Timeliness

    The results of this statistical operation are published at the end of the second quarter of the year in which the information is collected, with a 6-month deadline as a maximum.

    According to the above, the punctuality indicator value of the statistical operations that measures the period of time between the end of the reference period (31 March) and the publication date of the final results is TP2=6,7 mounths. There are no preview results in this statistical operation, and therefore, the publication of said results is always finals.

     

  • 14.2Punctuality

    The publication of the results of this statistical operation is always carried out on the date established in the INE dissemination calendar. 

• 15Coherence and Comparability
  • 15.1Comparability - geographical

    The questionnaire model is identical for all of the sampling units with headquarters in any of the Autonomous Communities of our national territory. In this sense, given that the sampling selection process is performed by legal unit size, main economic activity according to NACE rev.2 and Autonomous Community, the geographical comparability among Autonomous Communities may be carried out in a satisfactory manner.

    On the other hand, given that the questionnaire is designed from Eurostat for the purpose of achieving the harmonisation and homogeneity of the statistical operation on a European level, the results of the national aggregates are perfectly comparable with those of the rest of the Member States of the European Union. 

     

  • 15.2Comparability - over time

    The questionnaire for this statistical operation has a series of fixed modules, and others that change with a certain frequency. For those fixed modules, for example: Internet access, electronic commerce, etc., there are indicators for which continuous information is available as of 2003. On the other hand, there are other indicators for which said comparable is not possible in a homogeneous fashion, either due to being part of modules that have been included year-to-year, or because it has been necessary to change their definition in order to include the previews and development within the ICT area, or due to the change in the classification of activities in 2008.

    For the 2021-2022 reference period, the new practical application of the statistical concept of 'enterprise' is implemented. This change affects the statistical results of the ICT Survey, and its distribution by activities and sizes. So that users can compare the ICT Survey data under the traditional approach (based on separate Legal Units) and the new approach (based on Statistical enterprises), for the 2021-2022 reference period the INE has released both versions of the statistical results .

    Since the reference year 2022-2023, only the version based on Statistical enterprises will prevail

    Length of the comparable time series under the Statistical Unit Enterprise approach: CC2=3

  • 15.3Coherence - cross domain

    This statistical operation shows no discrepancies with other results from other statistical operations, as its specificity causes it to be an independent statistical operation.

  • 15.4Coherence - internal

    Internal coherence is guaranteed in this statistical operation, given that the estimations of all of the indicators are based on a single microdata file, and with the same calculation procedure. Moreover, said microdata file is already filtered with regard to coherence errors between magnitudes for a single respondent unit. That is to say that the online completion of the questionnaire does not allow the respondent to record it or finalise it, if any error in the sum of the magnitudes or incoherence in the answers to the questions asked is detected automatically.

• 16Cost and burden
  • 16.1Cost and burden

    The estimation of the budgetary credit, necessary to finance this statistical operation, as foreseen in the 2024 Annual Programme, comes to a total of 1550.33 thousand  of euros.

    From the perspective of the response burden associated with filling in the questionnaire, worth noting is that this has decreased substantially since the edition of the survey for the 2011 period referring to 2010. This is due to the INE implementation of the online information collection system and the reduction of the number of questions. This has facilitated the response to the questionnaire, and the entire subsequent process for processing and filtering the information collected.

• 17Data revision
  • 17.1Data revision - policy

    The INE of Spain has a policy which regulates the basic aspects of statistical data revision, seeking to ensure process transparency and product quality. This policy is laid out in the document approved by the INE board of directors on 13 March of 2015, which is available on the INE website, in the section "Methods and projects/Quality and Code of Practice/INE’s Quality management/INE’s Revision policy" (link).

    This general policy sets the criteria that the different type of revisions should follow:  routine revision- it is the case of statistics whose production process includes regular revisions-; more extensive revision- when methodological or basic reference source changes take place-; and exceptional revision- for instance, when an error appears in a published statistic-.

    
    

    Preview results are not published in this statistical operation. The results published are final, and not subject to any revision.

  • 17.2Data revision - practice

    Preview results are not published in this statistical operation. The results published are final, and not subject to any revision.

• 18Statistical processing
  • 18.1Source data

    The data are obtained directly from the sample units, through direct surveys. These sample units have been obtained from the Central Business Register of the INE. The sample selection process is carried out through stratified sampling, using the size, the activity according to NACE rev.2 and Autonomous Communities of the Legal Units as stratification variables.

    For the edition of the statistical operation corresponding to the current year , with reference period 2023/24, the sample was 25,000 companies (15,109 with 10 employees or more, and 9,891 with less than 10 employees). 

  • 18.2Frequency of data collection

    The information for this statistical operation is collected annually.

  • 18.3Data collection

    The data collection is carried out from January to March of 2024.

    The agents from the URCEs are in charge of contacting those respondent units that do not answer the questionnaire by the deadline, for the purpose of decreasing the non-response rate.

    The sampling units respond to the questionnaire via the Internet, using the IRIA application (Integration of the information collection and its administration). To this end, they are sent a presentation letter with the indications and keys that will allow them to access the application and answer the questionnaire. Moreover, if any unit does not wish to answer the questionnaire via the Internet, they may answer it in print format, if they so notify by any means (telephone, fax, e-mail or post), with enough advance notice to send them said print questionnaire.

     

     

     

  • 18.4Data validation

    The information collected through the questionnaire filled in online guarantees that there are no consistency errors in said information. This is because it automatically notifies the respondent of the existence of a possible order that must be corrected prior to closing the application and sending the questionnaire.

    Once the data is received in the collection units, it is supervised in order to detect possible magnitude errors. Once detected, the interviewer notifies the respondent unit in order to verify, or if necessary, to correct the figure provided.

    Subsequently, the unit responsible for the statistical operation also carries out a final validation process, which consists of comparing information agregate  with that of previous years.

  • 18.5Data compilation

    Compilation of information from Legal Units:
    1 º Imputation of the lack of partial response in the sample units. If the variable is quantitative the median of the stratum is used and if it is qualitative there is used the information of previous years if it exists and if it does not exist it is used answers of the unit that give it coherence to the imputation.
    2 º Macrodebugging  of the information comparing actual data with those of previous years for branches of activity and for autonomous Communities.
    3 º Calculate the factors of elevation and the sample rises up to the population for the calculation of the agregates.  

    Compilation of information from Statistical enterprises

    For the elaboration of the ICT SURVEY under the 'Statistical enterprise' approach, a method has been developed that is based on the following steps, each of which is described in more detail in the ICT SURVEY Methodology document available on the INE website together to the statistical results of the operation.

    1. Delineation of the Statistical enterprises that operate in business groups through the so-called Profiling methodology and classification of the Legal Units that compose them (see details in section 3.3 of the ICT SURVEY Methodology )
    2. Adequacy of the sample design and the information collection phase (see details in sections 5 and 6 of the ICT SURVEY Methodology ).
    3. Aggregation of the Legal Units that make up each Sample Statistical enterprise and study of the combinations of typologies of said Legal Units (see details in section 7.2.1 of the ICT SURVEY Methodology ).
    4. Consolidation for sample Statistical enterprises formed by more than one Legal Unit and containing relationships between them. For these enterprises, the flows between their Legal Units are identified to proceed with the cancellation of intra-enterprise transactions (see details in section 7.2.2 of the ICT Survey Methodology ).
    5. Construction of the complete statistics, based on Statistical enterprises, whether they are independent Legal Units or enterprises of business groups (see details in section 7.2.3 of the ICT SURVEY Methodology ).

    The essential idea is that if the Legal Units of a Statistical enterprise serve, exclusively or mainly, other Legal Units of the same enterprise (for example, because they sell products under a vertical integration of the production process or provide services as an auxiliary relationship) , said servile Legal Units must be combined with the others to which they support to form the authentic statistical unit "enterprise", therefore having to combine and consolidate the corresponding variables.

     

  • 18.6Adjustment

    No seasonal adjustment of the available series has been carried out in this statistical operation, since the series are annual.

• 19Comment
  • 19.1Comment