opinion poll
Most people see digitization as an opportunity
According to the survey, 57 percent say that digitization is progressing slowly. Photo: Ralf Hirschberger/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
The third Digital Day in Germany aims to promote digital participation among the population. The willingness of people to face the challenges of digitization is great. But not everyone can keep up the pace.
The vast majority of people in Germany are positive about the trend towards digitization. However, many fear that digital technologies will divide society.
These are the central results of a representative survey by the “Digital for All” initiative on the nationwide Digital Day, which was published in Berlin on Tuesday.
According to this, 87 percent of the population sees digitization as an opportunity. This positive attitude is not only found among young people: 71 percent of those over 75 also see it that way. 89 percent of those surveyedevet said that digital technologies are now an integral part of their own lives.
Majority sees country digitally divided
At the same time, however, a majority of people assume that not everyone benefits from technological progress to the same extent. In the survey, a majority (58 percent) saw the country as digitally divided. In the previous year, however, these fears were even more pronounced. In 2021, the proportion of respondents who perceive a split was still 65 percent.
When asked about the right pace for digitization, the answers vary depending on age. Overall, 57 percent say digitization is going too slowly, 23 percent think the pace is just right and 18 percent say digitization is going too fast. The over-75s (36 percent) are too fast.
Desire to promote digital skills
The study reveals a strong desire to promote digital skills: Eight out of ten respondents (83 percent) would like digital media and information skills to be promoted across the entire education chain.
The president of the digital association Bitkom, Achim Berg, said that the vast majority of people in Germany use digital technologies as a matter of course. “But there is also a much too large group that cannot keep up with the development, for which digitization is going too fast.” That is a challenge. “Half would like to participate more in the digital world, but fail because of a lack of technical knowledge. This is where we have to start and focus on teaching digital and media skills from childhood to old age.”