THE 'APPINESS PROJECT - Passive behavioural data fuses with surveys to reveal how internet and app usage impact on happiness - respondi
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THE ‘APPINESS PROJECT
Passive behavioural data fuses with surveys to
reveal how internet and app usage impact on
happiness
Jennifer Roberton, respondi
François Erner, respondi
Matt Browne, Global Progress
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THE ‘APPINESS PROJECT
Jennifer Roberton, respondi
François Erner, respondi
Matt Browne, Global Progress
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Introduction
The internet has been hailed as a
revolutionary tool for bringing people
together, sharing knowledge and
engaging audiences. However, there
have also been claims the internet has
become addictive, increased social However, these surveys do not include
isolation and helped to spread hate. in-depth analysis about the impact of the
Reports have emerged of some digital world on general well-being.
executives at Silicon Valley tech giants,
sending their children to schools which
have strict rules preventing pupils from
using any internet connected devices.
With all that in mind, our objective was to
find out if connected technologies are
overall, beneficial or detrimental to our
well-being. Over the past decade,
measuring and tracking population
happiness has become an increasingly
important priority for country leaders
around the world. In the UK for instance,
the Office for National Statistics runs an
annual survey to evaluate the personal
well-being of people in Britain. The World
Happiness Report, supported by the UN,
uses similar questions to track happiness
and well-being around the world.
4
Methodology
We conducted this research in order to It was vital here to obtain real behavioural
be able to cross analyse the results of data because when it comes to internet
these happiness indexes with online usage, declarative data may be biased or
behaviour. Our research - in France, inaccurate (even if you are ready to face
Germany and the UK - combined a the truth, it is difficult to estimate the time
traditional online survey, which matched you spend online each day, on every
the happiness question wording of the website, every app etc.).
official well-being surveys with passive
tracking data (i.e. web and app behaviour
tracked across the participants’ phones,
tablets and PC/laptops).
virtue
end means
vice
5
Our research combined traditional and By combining the results from the
new ‘passive’ methods. First, we ran a surveys and passive data, it is possible to
survey with several waves. We surveyed answer questions such as: ‘which
people 8 times in total between the websites do unhappy people visit’, ‘how
months of November and December in much time do happy people spend on
2017. Two consecutive weeks, three the internet’, etc.
times per week (on Monday, following
the weekend; Wednesday in the middle
of the week; and during the weekend) we
asked them to answer 5 questions
designed to measure their well-being in
that moment. We did the same around
Christmas (just before and after). More
than 5,000 people participated at least in
one wave of the survey.
In parallel to the surveys, we monitored
the participant’s real online behaviour. All
participants had already given their
explicit consent to install tracking
software on their devices (computer
and/or mobile devices) so that they
could share their internet/app use data
with us. We have been tracking them and
collecting their data for more than 18
months. We have the full picture of what
they do online: which websites do they
visit, which apps do they use, when and
for how long.
6
Not only is this an interesting topic of We wanted to show how the description
discussion, but one of the reasons for of the internet usage can be delved into
conducting this research was to even deeper, just by being able to
demonstrate the benefits of combining connect the actions with the level of
passive and declarative data. On the one well-being of their authors.
hand, for our purpose, data could not be This research confirmed some hypothesis
collected by asking the participant and disclosed some unexpected results.
directly ‘how your internet behaviour is
related to your level of well-being’? With A few comments on ‘happy’ and
the best of intentions, nobody is able to ‘unhappy’ people
answer this question honestly. When it comes to describing happy and
Furthermore, if we expect to get accurate unhappy people on a sociodemographic
numbers regarding the type of websites level, clichés seem to be true!
visited and the time spent online, passive Married people with kids, doing a full-
data is the most accurate data to use. time job, wealthy (over €5,000 per month
However, passively collected data might as household income) are
also be rather shallow. Big data is not overrepresented among happy people.
thick data, and to understand the Unhappy people are overrepresented
meaning of the action, it is good to know among single people, without children,
in which context it took place, if it was a unemployed (incl. housewife and house
good or a bad experience. For this husband) and with less than €1,500 euros
objective, there is no other option than to per month as household income.
ask people.
6 7
internet: hyper-choice as an opportunity However, the internet empowers you:
and a trap you can access whatever and whenever
Of course, the various tools on the you want, it makes all your hobbies and
internet can make your life easier, more projects doable, all your questions
convenient; you can complete tasks “answerable”. There are no other limits
effortlessly online, from your couch or than those you place on yourself! There
even during the time spent on public are no more excuses with the internet;
transportation. In the past, the same tasks the sky is the limit, so if you do not reach
would have required more time, more it, it is self-imposed!
energy and more money.
It is not an information delivery option
that will make you happy.
68
This is what distinguishes ’internet usage’. • + 33 % on IKEA website
Happy people seize the opportunities • + 28 % on Booking, + 52 % on Airbnb
offered by the internet. It is an efficient • + 34 % on FNAC website (retailer for
tool to get the most out of their life: they “cultural goods” in France)
use it to travel, to improve the decor of • + 18 % on food and recipes websites
their home, to buy books, to find new
recipes, etc. For happy people, the (NB: for the website categories, we are
internet is a means for doing something. using the webshrinker AI categorization
Some figures to highlight this result, tool, for more details refer to
happy people spend X % more time on webshrinker.com)
the following websites than unhappy
people:
virtue
end means
vice
Within the audience of these websites: more than 70 % of happy people
6 9
Unhappy people could feel trapped by • + 62 % on gaming sites
the internet. They are lost within the • + 45 % on entertainment sites
infinity of consumption options. They • + 41 % on adult sites
spend more time online than happy
people (around 25 % more, same on One likely explanation for this difference
computer and on mobile devices; 2 hours is that unhappy people are bored with
per day in total on both devices). their life and use the internet to fill the
Unhappy people appear to be void. It potentially makes them an easier
particularly attracted to streaming sites target for rumours, fake news, and
spending 61 % more time on streaming noxious content.
websites than happy people. Unhappy
people also spend X % more time in these
media consumption categories:
virtue
end means
vice
610Unhappy people: main targets for fake As a consequence, they usually don’t
news? vote (in the UK, they are overrepresented
To explore the topic of unhappy people among those who did not take part in the
and fake news, let’s first discuss the Brexit vote for instance), but when they
political opinions of unhappy people (we do they support protesting parties, either
ran a small survey among the same left or right wing oriented. In France, they
respondents in late September 2017). We criticize the action of Macron’s
got the same, consistent results in the government, in Germany they support
three countries where we conducted the Die Linke or Die AFD.
research: unhappy people are not Beyond their online behaviour, this short
involved in politics (unhappy people are description of the relationship between
always overrepresented among those political involvement and unhappy
who declared themselves as “not really” people makes them an ideal target for
or “not at all” interested” in politics). fake news: they are more fragile, more
willing to be convinced of demagogic
ideas.
They do not feel they are a valuable
member of the world they live in (one of
the questions used to measure their
happiness feeling is “do you think your
life is worthwhile or worthless”. Unhappy
people answer more frequently
“worthless”).
6 11It is even more true when we have a look
into their usage of social networks. They
are of course heavy users: overall, they
spend 30 % more time on social networks
than happy people. If we go deeper, on a
social network level the results are even
more explicit:
• ??? more time on Twitter
• 23 % more time on Facebook
But even if they are more fragile and
Unhappy people are more attracted to
more exposed, it does not necessarily
serious news than happy people. Hence,
mean that they are more naïve. As if to
even if they are more exposed to fake
emphasise, a couple of elements tend to
news they seem to be more sceptical
prove that at the opposite end of the
about it or at least more interested to get
spectrum, they seem to be also more
the counterpoint. More generally
critical.
speaking, it seems that they are not so
It is surprising to notice that they spend
naïve: they do not look like the kind of
47 % more time on news and media
guys ready to believe the first striking
websites. And it is even more surprising
news presented. Indeed, they also spend
to see which news website they visit.
a lot of time on educational websites, and
once again, it is consistent in the three
In the UK, they spend 60 % more time
countries. For instance, unhappy people
than happy people on The Guardian, +62
spend +37 % more time on Wikipedia than
% on the New York Times website (vs -72
happy people. And it is the same for Q&A
% on the Daily mail, -63 % on The Sun
websites: +114 % on “gute frage” (in
website) and +53 % on The BBC website.
Germany), + 20 % on “comment ça
A similar situation can be observed in
marche” (in France).
France (+64 % on Le Figaro website), and
in Germany (+360 % on “Die Welt”
website).
612CONCLUSION
The outcome of this research serves as a As such, the research could also be used
reminder that the internet is a tool and in the debate about the regulation of the
should be seen as no more than that. internet. It seems to be good to limit any
Happy people have typically the “right” passive usage of the internet: for
usage of the internet: they use it as a instance, what YouTube has done, by
means to achieve personal projects in suppressing auto play (automatic start of
real life. This research also confirmed that a new video chosen by an algorithm,
the recipe for happiness is universal. following the completion of the initial
Good living conditions, travel and chosen video in the first instance) on
education make people happy. YouTube, forces the user to regain
control of their web usage.
Online behaviour of unhappy people
presents simultaneously the two sides of Regulation is one thing but education is
the internet. The dark side: internet is another matter: all users, but especially
addictive and can become a full-time job, children, should be informed about the
especially if you have neither a job, nor dangers of the internet and be trained on
children, a partner or family members to the right way to use it - how to keep the
take care of. You spend your days on the control on it, as a tool and as a content
internet, you follow the stream, like a editor. At its worst, the internet can take
digital wanderer. users down a rabbit warren of seemingly
But this research also presents the bright endless media. Smarter internet users
side of the internet: it is of course a consume a leaner, more balanced
unique educational tool that can be used internet diet and use it as a tool to help
to form one’s opinion on the huge them achieve their goals.
amount of news/information that we are
exposed to, on a daily basis.
13Authors
JENNIFER ROBERTON FRANÇOIS ERNER MATT BROWNE
Managing Director UK Chief Innovation Officer CEO
respondi respondi Global Progress
For over 15 years she has François Erner is responsible Matt is the founder of Global
been at the forefront of online for the field of Research & Progress, a network of
research in the U.K., Europe Development at progressive leaders, thinkers,
and beyond. Jennifer has respondi. He completed his and foundations, a senior
been instrumental in shifting PhD in Sociology at the IEP in fellow at the Center for
analytical models from those Paris and American Progress and co-
based on self-reporting of is an Engineering graduate director of the Berggruen
consumer behavior to the from Centrale Marseille. Institute Renovating
fusion of data from a broad François has been Democracy Initiative.
variety of sources, including working in field of market Previously, he served as the
the integration of consumers’ research for 15 years. During executive director of Policy
passive online behavior. the 7 years before joining Network—the international
Under her leadership, they respondi, he held diverse think tank founded by Tony
received the MRS “Best Data positions in a famous French Blair, Gerhard Schröder,
Collection (Online)” award for Qual research institute and Goran Persson, and Giuliano
a pioneering study of was also Amato—and remains a
attitudes among refugees in the founder and President of member of the organization’s
12 countries, illustrating that the French market online governing board and
her approach to research not qual advisory council. He serves
only benefits commercial research agency House of on the board of Canada 2020,
clients but can be used to Common Knowledge. The Volta Italia, Progressive
tackle and better understand House of Common Centre UK and Open Goal,
complex issues of Knowledge was acquired by among other progressive
importance to society as a respondi in 2016. foundations. Over the past
whole. two decades, Browne has
advised over 30 progressive
leaders, prime ministers and
presidents across five
continents.
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