Brussels, BELGIUM – A new consumer survey released today finds that the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) has led to widespread frustration and a clear decline in the online experience for many European consumers.
In effect for more than a year now, the DMA has reshaped how some of the most popular tech companies are allowed to operate across Europe. This report is the first to quantify how those changes are being felt by consumers since early 2024.
Five thousand consumers across 20 EU Member States were surveyed by Nextrade Group for this report, which was commissioned by the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA Europe).
The findings are stark. Two-thirds of Europeans say they now need more clicks or more complex search terms to find what they need. Among frequent searchers, 61% report spending up to 50% more time on searches than before the DMA.
Frustrations are visible in daily tasks, from booking a trip to finding a job. Forty-two percent of frequent travelers say flight and hotel searches have worsened, one in four find it harder to find relevant jobs on LinkedIn, and 35% say Google Maps integration has worsened.
A significant number of consumers also report a decline in personalisation for services they use daily, including online ads (39%) and streaming and video content (33%).
Consumer discontent runs so deep that more than 40% of Europeans say they would – in theory – even be willing to pay a premium to restore pre-DMA services.
The following can be attributed to CCIA Europe’s Policy Manager, Maria Teresa Stecher:
“This survey puts numbers to what many Europeans already feel: many of their favourite online services have become less intuitive and more cumbersome under the DMA.”
“As EU policymakers prepare to review the DMA, it’s time to look beyond theory and consider the law’s real-world impact on services Europeans use every day.”
The following can be attributed to Senior Vice President and Head of CCIA Europe, Daniel Friedlaender:
“The DMA was meant to deliver more choice and better experiences, but the opposite appears to be happening. These findings must be taken seriously, also in light of the Commission’s DMA consultation that closes on 24 September.”
“The upcoming review is a chance to align the DMA with consumer and market reality to address the frustrations millions of Europeans are facing.”
Notes for editors
The full study, ‘The Digital Markets Act’s (DMA) real-world effect on consumers across the European Union,’ is available on the Nextrade Group website: https://www.nextradegroupllc.com/impact-of-the-dma-on-eu-consumers
For national journalists, Nextrade Group has also made a dataset available containing country-specific results for each question on how consumers’ online experience has changed under the DMA. Access it here: https://www.nextradegroupllc.com/_files/ugd/478c1a_e7314fc3d94548378a1612a1855af01b.xlsx?dn=DMA%20survey%20data%20090125.xlsx
