E-Government and Digital Inequality: The Spanish Case Study

Abstract

The second-level digital divide is generated by a combination of two factors. Firstly, the adoption of advantageous internet uses is strongly related to internet users’ material and educational resources. The higher the level of these resources, the higher the probability that advantageous internet uses will be adopted. Secondly, internet users’ offline resources have an influence on their digital skills. On the other hand, and according to the third-level digital divide, advantageous internet use is not beneficial per se. In order to obtain tangible benefits from it, an adequate level of digital skills is required. In this paper, the Spanish case is used to study second- and third-level digital divides in relation to e-government. Results show the importance of educational and online resources, as well as higher levels of digital skills, in enhancing the probability of being able to use the internet to interact with the public administration and with government agencies. These results raise important questions in terms of digital citizenship and the democratic divide.