Report highlights digital inclusion in Sweden’s vulnerable areas

• August 28, 2024
• admin

The Swedish Internet Foundation in collaboration with Järvaveckan Research has recently published a report that examines digital inclusion and exclusion in Sweden’s 59 vulnerable areas. The report provides an insight into how citizens in these areas use digital tools and services, and shows both opportunities and challenges in the digital world.

One of the most prominent findings of the report is that citizens, especially the younger population, are very quick to embrace new technologies. Over a third of residents in vulnerable areas have tested AI tools in the past year, which is a higher proportion than in the rest of Sweden. Among people aged 18-40, this figure is even higher, with half of young people in these areas having tried AI tools. This shows that the use of technology is widespread, despite socio-economic challenges.

Despite the active use of technology, the report reveals that access to the public digital society is more limited in vulnerable areas than in the rest of the country. Only 52 percent of residents in these areas state that they have full access to e-services and information from the state, municipality and authorities. This compares to 60 per cent in the rest of Sweden. Among young people, the difference is even more pronounced – 53% in vulnerable areas report having full digital access, compared to 66% in other parts of the country.

The report also highlights how the use of social media varies. Services such as Tiktok, Whatsapp and Telegram Messenger are significantly more popular in vulnerable areas, which can be partly explained by the high proportion of young people and people with a foreign background living there. For example, 34 per cent of the inhabitants of these areas use Tiktok, compared with 21 per cent in the rest of Sweden.

Another interesting aspect that the report addresses is the concerns of parents in these areas. While parents in vulnerable areas are less concerned about their children being exposed to online hate speech or fraud, they are more concerned about their children being drawn into gang crime or being radicalised online.

The report provides an important insight into how digitalisation affects the inhabitants of Sweden’s vulnerable areas and points to the need to strengthen access to the digital society to ensure a more equal digital inclusion.

For those who want to delve into the details, the full report is available on Järvaveckan Research’s website.

Image rights: Pexels ©