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Forty percent of 18- to 29-year-olds in Germany used video phone calls for the very first time during the coronavirus crisis, according to a survey published by the price comparison website Verivox on Monday.
The use of a webcam was new for 20 percent of German citizens between 18 and 29 years old, according to the survey, for which 1,000 people were interviewed in April. Around 18 percent of younger Germans also listened to a podcast for the very first time during the coronavirus lockdown.
"The use of digital services in Germany is expandable in all age groups," said Eugen Ensinger, Verivox telecommunications expert. "This is particularly surprising among the younger generation, who are said to be living a completely digitalized everyday life."
Customers queue in front of cashier desks at a shop in Berlin, Germany, May 9, 2020. (Photo by Binh Truong/Xinhua)
Verivox noted that "obviously the lockdown has caused a digitalization push for many younger people." Some 32 percent took part in a virtual fitness training for the first time and 21 percent watched a concert without an audience for the first time.
"Some young people also broke new digital ground in their professional environment," Verivox said, noting that 25 percent attended a webinar for the first time and 18 percent attended an after-work meeting with colleagues.
More than half of the young people in Germany want to use their mobile phones more often than before the contact ban. Almost 60 percent said they were keen to use more video calls in the future.
Since the coronavirus crisis, the number of telephone calls in Germany had doubled, according to Verivox. The results of the survey would indicate "that the increased usage could be sustainable," said Ensinger.
A man wearing a face mask looks at his cellphone at a subway station in Munich, Germany, April 27, 2020. (Photo by Kevin Voigt/Xinhua)
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
