Survey Find Most Users Believe Internet Access is a Human Right

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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According to an international survey of Internet users, the CIGI-Ipsos Global Survey on Internet Security and Trust, more than 80 per cent of its respondents believed that affordable access to the Internet should be a basic human right. The survey included input from almost 23,326 Internet users belonging to 24 different countries over issues including online security, surveillance and censorship.

Moreover, the survey found that 81 per cent of its respondents were of the opinion that the Internet is important for their own economic future and likelihood. The director of CIGI’s Global Security and Politics Program, Fen Hampson, stated that the results are proof that the public understands that the Internet has become a vital tool. Hampson stated that “overwhelming global public support for the idea that access to the Internet should be a human right also shows just how important the Internet has come to freedom of expression, freedom of association, social communication, the generation of new knowledge, and economic opportunity and growth.”

Hampson highlighted that the concept of Internet as a human right has become especially important, particularly when two-thirds of the world’s citizens do not yet have online access. He stated that “unless they are brought online, a world of Internet ‘have and have-nots’ will not only contribute to income inequality, but also stifle the world’s full potential for prosperity and innovation.” Discussing fears about personal security over interment, Hampson said “there is a gaping trust deficit in the Internet as people around the globe increasingly worry that their online identities and communications will be compromised or stolen by those who operate in the dark recesses of the Internet.”