As a joint project of bidt and the SZ-Institut of the Süddeutsche Zeitung, the bidt-Digitalbarometer.international compares the state of digital transformation in Germany to that of Austria, Finland, France, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. For this purpose, people in those seven countries were surveyed on usage behaviour and e-government, digital competence, digital transformation of the working environment and artificial intelligence.
Overview
The digital transformation can be seen in all areas of life, including workplaces, private life, or contact with the public administration. This development poses major challenges for the economy, society, and the state as it forces everyone to adapt to the changing circumstances. In this process, digital competence is crucial, as it is the key to participating in digital life.
The bidt-Digitalbarometer.international provides data on digital transformation from population surveys in six European countries and allows a comparison with the original bidt-SZ-Digitalbarometer 2022 for Germany. In Germany, 9,044 people were surveyed in August and September 2021. Between November 2022 and January 2023, data was collected in Austria, Finland, France, Italy, Spain, and the United Kigdom, with between 1,157 and 1,734 people surveyed per country. The bidt-SZ-Digitalbarometer 2022 and the bidt-Digitalbarometer.international allow representative statements about the respective resident population aged 14 and over.
Usage Behaviour and E-government
Germany ranks in the middle of the surveyed countries regarding Internet use. Germany is the front-runner in landline telephony but brings up the rear in smartphone use, online job applications and the use of online medical and therapeutic services. Germany is also behind in carrying out a complete administrative process online. However, a comparatively large number of respondents in Germany say they quickly find favour with new technical developments.
Digital Competence
Digital competence were measured using a self-assessment test (DigCompSAT) based on the European Reference Framework for Digital Competence (DigComp).
The population in Germany, with Spain and Italy, forms the bottom group regarding digital competence. Detailed analyses show that in Germany, digital competence is usually more dependent on socio-structural factors than in other countries. There are hardly any differences in a cross-country comparison for groups of people with high digital competence. However, when focusing on older people and people with lower incomes, German respondents fall behind the corresponding comparison groups in other countries in terms of digital competence. This means that the digital competence gap is particularly pronounced in Germany.
Digital Transformation of the Working Environment
Most employees in Germany predominantly see the opportunities of digitalisation for their own company.
At the same time, compared to the other countries, more employees state that too little attention is paid to digitalisation in their own company. However, a relatively lower proportion of employees in Germans are afraid of losing their job in the course of digital transformation. Also, German employees rate the opportunities for further training on digitalisation in their own companies as relatively poor.
Artificial intelligence
In Germany, the risk-opportunity assessment of artificial intelligence is relatively balanced in a cross-country comparison. Particularly in the areas of recognising illnesses and autonomous driving, the proportion of those in Germany who predominantly see opportunities in the use of artificial intelligence is greater than in the other countries surveyed. The self-assessed level of knowledge about artificial intelligence is highest in Germany and Finland.
Fields of Action
Digital transformation needs to be understood increasingly as a pluralistic process for society as a whole, in which people can actively participate. This includes, among other things, accelerating the provision of digital public administration services, with a targeted focus on the user perspective.
In the area of digital competence, the importance of low-threshold learning opportunities accessible to all individuals to counteract social inequality and the digital divide, is evident. Specifically, against the backdrop of an ageing society in Germany, a main focus needs to lie on strengthening the digital competence of the elderly in order to allow for their social participation even in old age. Concerning the shortage of skilled labour, there is a need for a focus on lifelong learning and increased activities in the areas of further education and training.
Against the background of the study results, supranational regulatory efforts of the European AI Act with a risk-based approach are to be welcomed in principle. However, a suitably flexible regulatory framework will be crucial to stay abreast of the rapid pace of AI development.
Comparing Your Digital Competence
Take the comparison test on the website of our cooperation partner, SZ. Determine your competence value, compare it with our results and find out where your strengths and weaknesses lie!
Comparison test
