Bles, Per, Nora Müller, and Lynn-Malou Lutz. 2025. "ICT Skill Disparities across Europe: The Role of Contextual Determinants." Comparative Sociology 24 (6): 749-800. doi: https://doi.org/10.1163/15691330-bja10151
Digital skills are increasingly central to social participation and labour market opportunities. In a new article published in Comparative Sociology, Per Bles, Nora Müller, and Lynn-Malou Lutz examine how national contexts are associated with inequalities in adults’ ICT skills across Europe.
Using PIAAC data from 19 European countries linked to macro-structural indicators, the authors analyse associations between ICT skills and key contextual factors, including digital infrastructure, labour market demand for technical skills, adult education systems, digital services, and gender norms.
The findings show that ICT infrastructure and demand for technical skills are most closely associated with adults’ ICT skills, albeit in socially stratified ways. As the analyses are based on cross-sectional data, no causal effects can be inferred. However, the results suggest that higher ICT skills among lower-educated adults are more commonly observed in countries with strong technical skill demand, whereas among higher-educated adults, participation in adult education is more strongly associated with higher ICT skill levels.