Accenture report reveals Ireland’s digital divide accelerated by pandemic

Ireland’s older and poorer populations risk being left behind unless action is taken to address the nation’s digital divide, according to Accenture’s latest report.  

Launched today, the 2022 Accenture Digital Index examines the state of the digital divide in Ireland – the gap between the digitally engaged and disengaged.  It reveals that long-standing issues around ‘the haves and have nots’ in an emerging digital society have become more nuanced as we emerge from the pandemic.

While the report notes that barriers to digital engagement are coming down, skills gaps that persist could mean a cohort of people risk being isolated from the digital economy. The Accenture Digital Index follows on from the 2020 report, Bridging the Gap – Ireland’s Digital Divide, which contained research conducted prior to the pandemic. 

Alastair Blair, country managing director at Accenture in Ireland, said: “The pandemic and its associated lockdowns have accelerated the adoption of almost every kind of online service, and there are clear indicators that people generally have become more digitally engaged over the past two years. However, there are cohorts of the population not benefiting from, or engaging with, digital society – at work or in their everyday lives.

“These gaps are not going to close on their own so it’s incumbent on all of us, in business and across the wider ecosystem, to be aware of people’s wellbeing when it comes to digital engagement while helping them ‘skill up’ and play an active part in the digital economy.? This is important for Ireland, as building this skills base will further position us at the leading edge of those nations who are adopting and benefitting from this rapidly accelerating digital world, making us more competitive on the world stage.”

According to the report everyday digital skills have proliferated such as online interactions that principally take place using mobile phones.  Meanwhile more advanced digital skills, associated with desktop computers, have stalled.  Mobile phones, loaded with apps that make light work of shopping, banking, messaging, and streaming entertainment, are used by 95 per cent of survey respondents. However, computers, which are better suited to document creation, are used less by those in lower socioeconomic groups compared with higher socioeconomic groups – 39 per cent using daily compared to 61 per cent among the better off.  

People at risk of being left behind

Meanwhile, digital usage has grown significantly: 68 per cent of Irish citizens have increased their internet usage, with video calls, online shopping, and social media driving greater engagement. While the pandemic led to people becoming more reliant on technology and being more than capable of integrating digital into their daily lives, the caveat is that advances have largely been confined to everyday skills.  As such, there appears to be little appetite for acquiring more advanced skills. Around a third of people (35%) don’t see a need to improve their digital skills, while around a quarter say there is nothing that would motivate them to get better.  

The Accenture Digital Index also shows that age and socioeconomic barriers still exist, particularly when it comes to more advanced digital skills. Scoring reveals a significant gap between the social classes, with those who are better-off having higher levels of skills and engagement. Marked out of 100, scores reveal that the better-off are significantly ahead, 80/100 compared to 68/100. One of the biggest gaps between the social classes was in using the internet to find jobs: 54 per cent of the higher social class scored themselves 7-10 at this, compared to 38 per cent in lower social classes. 

Jen Speirs, Digital Divide Sponsor for Accenture in Ireland and Executive Creative Director within Accenture Interactive, comments: “Unless we take action to address what is essentially a socioeconomic divide, a group of people risk being left behind in Ireland. We have to get better at conveying to them the importance of having more advanced digital skills and competencies that will help them succeed in a digital workplace and participate more broadly in society.

“We have seen, for example, a lack of progress among certain groups in being able to create documents, including CVs, which are table stakes for getting a job. Government, education, and business will have to continue to be creative in how we reach this audience. We need to come up with inventive ways to engage with them, improving their prospects while at the same time benefitting Ireland’s increasingly digital economy.”

Digital fatigue and fears

The majority of people feel they are spending too much time online and are actively trying to cut back. When it comes to their attachment to technology and the internet, almost half of respondents say they find themselves online throughout the day, even if it’s not completely necessary for work; 45 per cent are actively trying to reduce the amount of technology they use each day. As soon as they finish work, 20 per cent of people try to get away from technology.   

One of the biggest issues, according to the Accenture Digital Index, was low comfort levels in installing applications and changing privacy settings on social media sites. There was less of a gap across age and social class when it came to identifying false or unreliable information, such as untrustworthy sources, fake news, or fraudulent emails as people right across society are not completely comfortable with this.   

However, while Millennials and Gen Z are driving the transition to a digital society, their relationship with it is not without its challenges. Nearly two-thirds of respondents (61%) in the 18-34 category say they could definitely spot ‘fake news’ online but widespread research shows their confidence may be misplaced and that tech-savvy younger people are more susceptible to misinformation than older age groups.  

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