Survey objectives

Conducted since 2005, the ICT Enterprises survey measures the adoption of information and communication technologies in small, medium and large enterprises (10 or more employed persons). The survey was annual between 2005 and 2015 and has been conducted every two years since 2017.

The objective of the survey is to investigate access to infrastructure and the use and appropriation of new technologies by the private sector, mapping perceptions of possible benefits generated for its activities.

On a less frequent basis, ICT Enterprises also includes a sample of micro enterprises (1 to 9 employed persons). Through a questionnaire adapted to this target population, the survey of micro enterprises was conducted in 2007, 2010 and 2017.

Areas of investigation

The survey presents indicators that translate the reality of Brazilian enterprises into statistics in relation to various themes, such as:

• ICT access;
• Internet use;
• Electronic government;
• Electronic commerce;
• ICT skills;
• Software;
• Security;
• New technologies.

Institutional support

The survey receives support from the Brazilian Ministry of Economy, the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) and the Institute for Applied Economic Research (Ipea), as well as from a group of experts from various sectors.

International references

The ICT Enterprises survey is based on methodological standards and indicators internationally established in manuals from institutions such as the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). It is also aligned with the methodological frameworks proposed in the manual of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), prepared in partnership with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the statistical office of the European Commission (Eurostat) through the multi-sectoral initiative Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development.

Methodology

The ICT Enterprises survey examines Brazilian enterprises with 10 or more employed persons that belong to the market segments considered by international methodologies. The sample of enterprises is obtained through simple stratified sampling, where the strata are built according to the domains of interest for presentation of the survey results.