Digital inequality in Finland: Access, skills and attitudes as social impact mediators

In recent years, digital health care and social welfare services have been spreading rapidly and partly replacing face-to-face services, particularly in developed countries. This may lead to a pronounced digital inequality. This population-based study of Finnish adults (N = 4495) examined the associ...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:New media & society 2023-09, Vol.25 (9), p.2475-2491
Main Authors: Heponiemi, Tarja, Gluschkoff, Kia, Leemann, Lars, Manderbacka, Kristiina, Aalto, Anna-Mari, Hyppönen, Hannele
Format: Article
Language:English
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:In recent years, digital health care and social welfare services have been spreading rapidly and partly replacing face-to-face services, particularly in developed countries. This may lead to a pronounced digital inequality. This population-based study of Finnish adults (N = 4495) examined the associations of offline resources with perceived benefits from online services and the mediating effects of access, skills and attitudes in these associations. The results indicated that those with lower personal, economic and social offline resources perceived online services as less beneficial. This was largely explained by poor access to the services, poor digital skills and negative attitudes towards online services. To increase equality, it would be important to improve Internet access and digital skills and implement means to address negative attitudes, especially among vulnerable groups. Moreover, online health and social welfare services should be designed to be more inclusive.
ISSN:1461-4448
1461-7315
DOI:10.1177/14614448211023007