Georgians in the Internet Age: The Profile

Author(s): Koba Turmanidze, Mariam Gabedava
Editor(s): Denis Dafflon, Lili Di Puppo, Iris Kempe, Natia Mestvirishvili, Matthias Neumann, Robert Orttung, Jeronim Perovic, Heiko Pleines
Series: Caucasus Analytical Digest (CAD)
Issue: 61
Pages: 2-5
Publisher(s): Center for Security Studies (CSS), ETH Zurich; Research Centre for East European Studies, University of Bremen; Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies, George Washington University
Publication Year: 2014

Computer literacy and Internet usage have been increasing in Georgia for the past few years. This article looks at the profile of active Internet users based on the 2013 Caucasus Barometer. Specifically, we are interested in describing the social-economic profile of internet users and exploring similarities and differences between the users and non-users in terms of political attitudes and religiosity. We illustrate that the Internet users are more likely to be young residents of the capital, often with higher education. We also show that Internet users are more engaged citizens than non-users: they have a high appreciation for democracy, are critical of the government and display tolerance toward other ethnic groups. At the same time, the Internet users appear to be more religious: they report higher religiosity and observe religious rituals more actively compared to non-users.

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