A UOC research team is participating in the creation of an index on the digital divide in Catalonia

A research team from the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) is participating in a project led by the Catalan Round Table of Third Social Sector Organizations for the creation of an index on the digital divide in Catalonia. The initiative aims to measure and reduce inequality in access to and use of digital services, both public and private. For example, according to 2022 data from the Spanish National Institute of Statistics (INE), 96% of the adult Catalan population are internet users, but the figure drops to 42% in the age group over 75 years old.

The study, which will be completed this year, aims to "create an index of the digital divide that allows the phenomenon to be monitored over time", said Mireia Fernández Ardèvol, senior researcher in the Communication Networks and Social Change (CNSC) group at the UOC's Internet Interdisciplinary Institute (IN3), who is coordinating the initiative. "The indicator will include different dimensions on the evolution of this phenomenon in Catalonia, with the aim of allowing it to be replicated in other places," said Fernández Ardèvol, who is also a member of the Faculty of Information and Communication Sciences. The project – which also involves CNSC researchers Enrique Rodríguez and Sara Suárez, who also belongs to the same faculty – aims to collect data on service use and access in order to continuously monitor the situation.

In collaboration with the public and the private sector, and based on the data available from both sectors, the project will develop a set of indicators, divided into subject groups, highlighting some of the key dimensions of the digital divide. These indicators will provide a visual representation of how the digital divide evolves over time, and the aim is to use the information they provide to help define public policies aimed at reducing it.

Work session with social and economic agents

The project held a work session with different social and economic agents in the Catalan ecosystem, the Government of Catalonia's Ministry of Social Rights, representatives of the Ministries of Health and Education and Vocational Training, the Open Government Consortium of Catalonia and Barcelona Activa, as well as experts from the financial and technological sectors. Marta Aymerich, director of the UOC's eHealth Center, also participated in the meeting as an expert.

The attendees discussed the possibility of measuring the phenomenon of non-take-up, that is, the lack of use of services by people who are entitled to them but who, due to various types of barriers, do not access them. The discussion aimed to go beyond the available data, which, it was felt, was not detailed enough to enable informed public policy decision-making. In addition to discussing the phenomenon, the participants shared data on access to digital services, the devices used and how people can be trained to access them.

For example, only 26% of the population have access to the internet in municipalities with fewer than 1,000 inhabitants, which are home to a higher proportion of older inhabitants than cities, where 100% have access. The CNSC group's understanding of this situation has led it to study the relationship between ageing and the digital divide with a commission from the Parliamentary Advisory Board on Science and Technology (CAPCIT), which concluded with the presentation of a report to the Parliament of Catalonia last year.

The participants in the session agreed that the digital divide index could be a useful instrument to improve the provision of these services and ensure that they are accessible to all citizens. "The creation of this index will be an important step in being able to evaluate initiatives that contribute to reducing the digital divide in Catalonia and ensuring that no one is left behind," said Valentí Arroyo, head of the Government of Catalonia's Directorate-General for Social Benefits, who added that the Catalan administration "maintains its commitment to promote high-quality projects to improve digital services and guarantee the inclusion of all people in public services."

Cross-disciplinary team

Besides the UOC, the project, led by the Catalan Round Table of Third Social Sector Organizations, also benefits from the participation of Government of Catalonia staff from the Living Wage and Social Rights units of the Directorate-General for Social Benefits, as well as staff from the Digital Research and Culture unit of the Ministry of Education; the CatSalut information systems; the innovation and data initiative of the Open Government Consortium of Catalonia; the digital inclusion unit of Barcelona Activa; the digital divide initiative of the Ferrer i Guàrdia Foundation; Cercle Tecnològic; Blanquerna - Ramon Llull University, as well as an expert from the banking sector.

This project, implemented with the participation of the UOC's CNSC research group, is aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goal 10, Reduce inequality within and among countries.

UOC R&I

The UOC's research and innovation (R&I) is helping overcome pressing challenges faced by global societies in the 21st century by studying interactions between technology and human & social sciences with a specific focus on the network society, e-learning and e-health.

Over 500 researchers and more than 50 research groups work in the UOC's seven faculties, its eLearning Research programme and its two research centres: the Internet Interdisciplinary Institute (IN3) and the eHealth Center (eHC).

The university also develops online learning innovations at its eLearning Innovation Center (eLinC), as well as UOC community entrepreneurship and knowledge transfer via the Hubbik platform.

Open knowledge and the goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development serve as strategic pillars for the UOC's teaching, research and innovation. More information: research.uoc.edu.