Easter Sunday marks the end of Lent. Many Germans have given up alcohol, sweets and meat for 40 days. This renunciation was certainly only easy in the rarest of cases - but what if Germans had to give up the daily newspaper, the internet or even television for a year? What would they give up? The relaxed ‚sprinkling’ TV evening or independent surfing on the Internet? The news in the newspaper or the news on the Internet?
The Foundation for Future Studies, an initiative of British American Tobacco, asked precisely these questions to a representative sample of over 2,000 German citizens aged 14 and over. The result is clear: only one in three Germans (32%) can imagine doing without private and public television programmes for a year. In contrast, more than two thirds of Germans (68%) would give up surfing the Internet. However, young and old set significantly different priorities. The Internet remains the undisputed number one for the under 29s, with only around one in four young Germans still able to imagine life without Google, Facebook and the like. „Television offerings such as information and entertainment programmes are also available to them on the Internet. In their eyes, however, the World Wide Web is also a communication, knowledge and gaming tool that has become an integral part of their everyday lives,“ says Professor Dr Ulrich Reinhardt, the Foundation's Scientific Director.
However, this enthusiasm for the internet gradually decreases with age. The majority of 30 to 39-year-olds would rather do without the internet than the television. Among 40- to 49-year-olds, the figure is as high as two thirds, among 50- to 59-year-olds it is as high as three quarters and among the over-60s, almost everyone is unanimously in favour of the television programme.

Starting a career and starting a family lead to a slump in internet use

Private use of the internet is highest in adolescence and young adulthood. However, this decreases significantly as people enter the world of work. Most working Germans currently prefer to relax passively in front of the television after work so that they are fit for work the next day rather than actively clicking through the limitless offers on the Internet. A further change in internet use occurs when people start a family, which often leads to a redefinition of priorities in life. Reinhardt: „Time is already the most precious resource in our leisure time. In the average 3 hours and 10 minutes of free time that parents currently have at their disposal after work, all needs must be satisfied. In addition to personal hobbies and interests, personal recreation and relaxation, this also includes all social contacts with partners, children, friends and relatives, neighbours, colleagues and acquaintances. The next generation will behave in a very similar way when they enter the world of work and have children. In this respect, it is rather unlikely that today's young people will retain their strong affinity for the internet in adulthood.“
Irrespective of actual usage, however, scientists expect the technical fusion of the two devices to continue. But even if televisions are already Internet-compatible today and TV programmes can be accessed online, the possibilities say nothing about the actual use and the true needs of Germans.

Three out of five Germans would rather do without the Internet than the newspaper

Even in comparison with newspapers, the internet only performs better among the younger generations. On average across Germany, 58 per cent would rather do without the internet than the newspaper. However, only one in ten young people would miss the Internet for a year, whereas 95 per cent of retirees could imagine doing so.
Here too, the study comes up with two simple and understandable explanations. Firstly, for many people, reading the newspaper is technically much easier and saves time. The newspaper is in the letterbox in the morning and can be read on public transport or in bed at night. In contrast, after booting up the PC, the news first has to be actively searched for or called up and for most Germans the computer is not flexible and light enough to be taken everywhere. Secondly, the newspaper convinces most Germans with its filtered information. In contrast to the diversity of data on the Internet, newspapers only ever offer a selection of information and opinions. Germans trust this pre-selection more than the Internet.
The foundation is keeping a close eye on developments in tablet PCs and smartphones, which could well become a competitor in the long term, as they are easy to carry around - but are currently neither affordable nor usable by everyone.