Inequalities in digital welfare take-up: lessons from e-government in Spain

Abstract

E-government offers opportunities for improving the interactions between citizens, governmental and public institutions, private sector organizations, and public employees. Despite this, the take-up of e-government services has been vastly uneven in many societies with considerable digital divides existing. This study identifies the determinants of use of e-government in Spain through an analysis of the Survey on Equipment and Use of information and Communication Technologies in Households. A Path Analysis Model was used to identity the variables that explain why almost half of the Spanish population does not make use of E-government and how these variables are related. Two large groups of variables were found to be important: digital skills and trust in the Internet. Digital skills were affected by an individual citizens’ resources, such as their educational level and economic resources, as well as by age and gender. Meanwhile, their trust in the Internet was shaped by other attitudes and beliefs – mainly their concern about being targeted by advertising. These findings have important consequences for the design of policies to address digital inclusion across Europe and elsewhere, which need to focus on building citizen's trust.