Digital inequality in Italy and Europe

Information and communication technologies contribute to the development of new skills, which are crucial for employment, improve access to better and faster services and allow citizens to participate more actively in social and political debates, making the government more accountable. However, access to the Internet is not equally distributed among countries and among individuals within countries. Until recently, research has focused on inequality in access (the digital divide). As Internet penetration increases, especially in more advanced countries, attention should be devoted to inequality in use among individuals who have access to the Internet. After reviewing data on Internet penetration, we focus on the use of the Internet and its relationship with individuals’ characteristics. In the last part of the chapter, we sketch some policy implications.