Compound and Sequential Digital Exclusion: Internet Skills, Uses, and Outcomes

Through a survey with a representative sample of Dutch Internet users, this paper examines (1) compound digital exclusion, that is, whether a person who lacks a particular type of digital skill also lacks another kind of skill; whether a person who does not engage in a particular way with the Internet is also less likely to engage in other ways with the Internet; and whether a person who does not achieve a certain outcome from using the Internet is also less likely to achieve another type of outcome. We also tested(2) sequential digital exclusion, whether certain groups were less likely to have digital skills; and whether this leads to lower levels of engagement with the Internet; resulting in a lower likelihood of an individual achieving tangible outcomes from their Internet use. The results show that compound and sequential digital exclusion is a reality.