Digital Skills Report 2023: Many keep up with the digital age thanks to the support of their family and friends

The digital skills of Finns have improved in all age groups, but without the support of their family and friends, not everyone can stay up to date in these matters. This was the main finding of the Digital Skills Report published today by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency.

The theme for Digital Skills Report 2023 is  Digital first, but not alone. Digital and Population Data Services Agency.

The Digital Skills Report 2023, published by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency on 15 December, looks at how to help and support people in a digitalising world. People of all ages need help in the use and understanding of digital devices and services on a daily basis. For the second time, the report provides a situational picture of Finnish people's digital skills and experiences related to digitalisation. 

As our daily lives are becoming increasingly digitalised, the help required and provided on an everyday basis also becomes digitalised. The Digital Skills Report highlights the role of family and friends in making digital everyday life possible, as according to it, 89% of Finns support their loved ones in digital matters. 
 

Most Finns seek digital support from their relatives

Digital support for a close relative is mainly perceived as a positive part of the relationship. There is joy in helping and feelings of success in solving problems. However, some of those who support their family and friends hope that their loved one would also seek help from other sources of digital support.

It has to be noted that not everyone has a relative or a friend who can be asked for help and who will help. Family and friends may not always have the time nor the capacity to help, either. There is room for improvement in the awareness of other sources of digital support.

The Digital Skills Report shows that Finns are not familiar with digital support provided by authorities and the third sector, for example. 65% of Finns were aware that the authorities had an obligation to provide support for their digital services. Many also ask their family and friends for help in matters concerning the authorities. 

The ability to use digital services is increasingly important for managing everyday life now and in the future. In fact, Finns consider it important that digital support should also be available as a public service so that it is available to everyone. 

"More low-threshold digital support is needed so that those who are most uncertain can also benefit from digitalisation", says Henriikka Eloluoto from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency.

"The threshold for seeking and requesting digital support can become very high when the need for help is thought to be embarrassing and the situation begins to feel desperate. It would be easier to accept help if it was offered at a low threshold as part of everyday life", Eloluoto explains.

The digital skills of Finns have improved in all age groups and trust in the future is good

Finns are among the most digitally skilled people in Europe and the skills have improved in all age groups over the years. On average, Finnish people aged between 16 and 89 have very good digital skills; 73% of Finns have at least basic digital skills. 

Basic digital skills refer to skills that enable people to cope in the digital world. Individuals with basic digital skills may face challenges in using more complex services or acting in problematic situations. It would therefore be important to aim for a level of competence in which basic digital skills are exceeded. 

In particular, some older people have only basic digital skills or none at all. The higher the age of the respondents, the lower the proportion of digitally literate people in the age group. However, when compared to the situation in 2021, the digital competence of Finns has improved across all age groups, including among older people. 

"Seniors are a diverse age group, with digital skills ranging from the highly skilled to the digitally illiterate. Not everyone has the same skills or experience with digitalisation. As the population of Finland ages and becomes more diverse, the position of seniors as users of services must be safeguarded", says Minna Piirainen from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency. 

Finns were also asked to assess their digital competence in relation to others for the Digital Skills Report. Based on their answers, people considered their skills to be about as good as those of the other people in the same age group. With the exception of the oldest respondents, Finns also believe that their competence will be sufficient in the future. 

Read more about the Digital Skills Report 
Report's English version will be published soon.

For more information

Digital and Population Data Services Agency, Chief Specialist Minna Piirainen,
tel. +358 295 535 280, firstname.lastname[at]dvv.fi