Revisiting the digital divide in Europe — The profile of those on the wrong side of the divide

Abstract

How deep is the digital divide in Europe today? What is the profile of those on the wrong side of the divide? This article provides answers to these two questions using data from the European Social Survey (round 10, data collected between 2020 and 2022) and conducting analyses using a probit regression model. It concludes that the digital divide, including the access divide, remains a problem in Europe. The prototype of the offline European would be someone who is not young, has little or no education, lives alone in a rural area, perceives their situation as financially difficult, is somewhat socially isolated, and has doubts about the benefits of communication. The profile of the person affected by the skills divide is not very different from that described above, although with some nuances: while women are less affected by the access divide, they are more affected by the skills divide; the larger the household size, the greater the likelihood of having lower digital proficiency; those “in education” are more skilled; capabilities increase with the number of hours spent in front of the screen.