Abstract

Digital Poverty in Italy: New Measures and Regional Comparisons among Young People (6-19 years)

Authors: Tommaso Budini (University of Florence – University of Siena), Antonella D’Agostino (University of Siena –‘Camilo Dagum’ Centre ASESD), Caterina Giusti (University of Pisa –‘Camilo Dagum’ Centre ASESD), Monica Pratesi (University of Pisa –‘Camilo Dagum’ Centre ASESD)

Assessing digital poverty among youth is essential to determine whether younger generations possess the necessary tools to exercise their rights and avoid exclusion from an increasingly digitalized society. Analysis at local level offers the granular insights needed to design more effective policy interventions. From this perspective, we introduce an analytical framework to assess digital poverty at the regional level in Italy, targeting the 6–19 age group.
Building on the Digital Poverty Alliance framework, digital poverty is conceptualized as a multidimensional phenomenon encompassing several interrelated dimensions. The framework identifies five core components: Device & Connectivity, Access, Capabilities, Motivation, and Support. In this context, the European Digital Competence Framework for Citizens (DigComp 2.2) provides a complementary reference for the capabilities-related dimension.
However, a full empirical implementation of both frameworks remains unfeasible for the 6-19 age group in Italy due to a lack of suitable indicators in large-scale survey data. This data gap renders vulnerable youth an ‘invisible population,’ overlooked by targeted public policies.
In this study, three dimensions are operationalized. Device & Connectivity refers to the physical availability of digital devices and their internet connectivity. Access refers to individuals’ effective ability to use these resources, that is, whether they have direct and reliable access to both devices and an internet connection in their everyday environment. Capabilities refer to individuals’ digital skills, that is, their ability to effectively use technologies for a variety of purposes.
While the first dimension captures the infrastructural conditions of the contexts in which individuals are embedded, the latter two focus on individuals’ ability to access and make use of these resources.
To address the data gap limitation, this study adopts a data-driven approach, operationalizing digital poverty through a set of observable indicators capturing the three key dimensions outlined above. Using micro-data from the Italian Aspects of Daily Life (AVQ) survey conducted by the Italian National Statistical Institute (Istat), the analysis pools four survey waves (2021–2024). This strategy ensures an adequate sample size for robust disaggregation, enabling the production of micro-level estimates for the 6–19 age group at both regional and metropolitan city levels. By combining a theoretically broad framework with an empirically grounded operationalization, this study contributes to the measurement of digital poverty and provides a basis for investigating its territorial and demographic distribution.

Keywords: digital poverty, youth, multidimensional approach, regional indicators