Civic participation does not automatically grow with digital. This is shown by ISTAT data on Permanent population census 2024: 87.3% of older families responded to the questionnaire, compared to 75% of younger ones. A fact that denies the idea of participation driven above all by the new generations.
The difference is not so much in the willingness to participate, but in the channels used. Young people respond mainly online, while older people prefer direct contact with municipalities, through face-to-face or telephone interviews. This is where the paradox emerges: digital should make more simple access to public servicesbut for many elderly people it becomes an obstacle, made up of credentials, passwords and complex steps.
They should be the ones to untie this knot public policies which, as we will see, in some European countries such as Estonia have produced considerable results. Italy still struggles to introduce systemic digital education measures that leave the classroom and embrace the entire population.
Internet access and use among older adults: a structural fracture
The dynamics observed in the Census are confirmed by the data on the use of technologies in daily life collected by the survey Istat Citizens and ICT 2024. Here the gap does not appear as an isolated episode, but as a structural condition that accompanies advancing age.
In 2024 theInternet access it is close to saturation for a large part of the Italian population, but not for all. Alone 60.6% of families are made up exclusively of elderly people has a domestic connection, compared to values close to total in families with at least one minor or one non-elderly member. The first fracture therefore concerns thebasic infrastructureeven before skills.
Even where the connection is present, theeffective use of the network declines rapidly with age. He has been using the Internet for the last three months 68.1% of people between 65 and 74 years olda share that drops to 31.4% among those over 75. The distance is not only generational, but progressive: each change in age coincides with a significant reduction in frequency and of variety of use.
Digital public services: autonomy remains limited
The gap becomes even more evident when observing the interaction with i digital services of the Public Administration. In 2024 only 13% of people requested online certificates or documentswhile less than a quarter used PA sites or apps to download official forms or book appointments. Compared to 2023, these functions are decreasing, after the peak recorded during the pandemic phase.
The use of the services of e-government stay focused on central age groups and in Central-Northwhile among the elderly and in Noon digital interaction with the PA remains sporadic and selective. Even relatively simple operations, such as consultation of personal information or access to public recordsinvolve a minority of older users.
In the transition from the Census to daily life, the picture is recomposed: the digitalization of services proceeds faster than the diffusion of skills necessary to use them independently. For a significant part of the elderly population, online access does not coincide with a simplification, but with an increase in operational and cognitive complexity.
Digital adult education: what the State does
In this context, the public policies they struggle to close the gap. Outside the school perimeter, the coordination of digital literacy is headed by the Department for Digital Transformation of the Presidency of the Council, responsible for guiding the modernization of the country, promoting the adoption of digital services and promoting the dissemination of the skills necessary to interact with the PA and the digital economy.
The initiative fits within this framework Digital Republicdesigned to reduce the skills gap and promote an informed use of technologies through a network of public and private entities. One of the main tools is the Digital Republic Fundestablished as a partnership between the State and banking foundations to finance projects training and digital inclusion on the territory.
However, available resources remain limited. According to the provisions of the Official Journal, they are assigned to the Fund approximately 10 million eurosa figure that reduces the possibility of transforming experiments into structural and ongoing policies.
Why the Netherlands leads Europe in digital skills
In the Netherlands familiarity with digital is not an exception, but a widespread condition. According to the most recent official data, 82.7% of the population owns at least basic digital skillswell above the European average (55.6%) and beyond the target set by the European Union for 2030. It is the sign of a system in which tools and skills they reinforce each other.
THE’OECD highlights how this diffusion is linked to three structural factors: almost universal access to the Internet, extended use of digital services public and private, and one culture of lifelong learning which keeps skills active even in adulthood. Generational differences remain, but they start from higher average levels than in most European countries.
In the Netherlands, digitalisation does not only concern services, but also a widespread and structured support for those who risk being excluded. The national program of Digital Inclusion he claims courses and branches in libraries for citizens with digital difficulties, including the elderly, while i digital assistance points (like the IDO) work daily on practical issues such asdigital identity and access to online public services.
This is accompanied by one national help network (DigiHulplijn) is a system of monitoring and ongoing training to maintain and spread skills. They also operate in the area local networks and voluntary organisations that offer specific courses for senioradapted to different rhythms and needs, showing how thedigital autonomy is built over time, through training, assistance and constant presence.
