Digital inclusion index score in Australia 2021, by social indicator

The 2021 Australian Digital Inclusion Index (ADII) results showed that people who had a tertiary education had an ADII score of 77.9, closely followed by people who were employed. At the other end of the scale, the ADII score for people with no secondary education was 52.7. People with disabilities and those not in the labor force scored slightly better but remained at the lower end of the digital inclusion scale.

Applications of the Australian Digital Inclusion Index

The ADII provides a benchmark for digital inclusion across various social and economic indicators such as age, cultural background, and income. It can also identify digital disadvantage by highlighting the digital divide between and within specific groups. For example, people over the age of 50 have a lower ADII score than the younger age groups. A similar digital divide can be observed when comparing people on low and high incomes. In modern society it is becoming increasingly important to be digitally literate to communicate and engage with services, however, the ADII helps to identify groups who may be disadvantaged by new digital solutions and the digitalization of services.

Digitalization of government services

One area that is undergoing rapid digitalization in Australia is government services. Since 2015 e-government services can be accessed through the myGov online portal and many government interactions can now be done electronically, without the need to go into a physical service center. While this digitalization of government has simplified processes for many, e-government also risks isolating those who lack the digital literacy or online access to engage fully with online government services.