Facts & Figures
The level of "digital fitness" in Austria was determined in 2022 with the Digital Skills Barometer.
The Digital Skills Barometer is the first official survey to measure digital skills in Austria based on the DigComp AT competence framework with self-assessment and knowledge-based questions.
The survey was conducted in the months of April and May in 2022 with a sample classifying gender, age and federal state of almost 4,000 people living in Austria.
The result of the Digital Skills Barometer is a detailed insight into the level of digitalisation of the Austrian population and provides the basis for the next steps in skills development.
- You can download the most important results of the study here (PDF).
- The full version of the study (PDF) is also available for download here. (A barrier-free version will soon be available).
(Both versions are currently only available in German.)
Highlights of the study
Digital fitness is overestimated. The results show that self-assessment questions or questions about usage habits are not sufficient to determine the actual digital skills of Austrians. Usually, people tend to overestimate their own digital fitness.
Practice is a prerequisite for digital performance. Just as in sports, it is not enough to engage with digital developments and applications only a few times. In order to build up a solid condition and stay fit, you need ongoing practice!
A high level of education makes you digitally fit. Formal education correlates with digital competence. The higher the formal educational qualification, the higher the digital fitness on average and the more realistic the self-assessment of one's own digital competences. People with a higher level of formal education recognise their knowledge gaps more easily and educate themselves more frequently on digital topics.
The gender gap requires attention. Women not only rate their digital competences lower than men, but they also achieve a lower level of fitness compared to men. At the same time, home office provision by employers is worse for women than for men. There are many arguments in favour of promoting women's digital competence through awareness raising, fitness training and equipment.
Austrians learn informally. According to the European Commission, digital competences are among the eight key competences for "lifelong learning", but only 10.4% of the population between 15 and 74 years of age participate in relevant courses or training on an annual average. Learning scenarios for the digital world tend to be informal: almost 70% of digital skills development takes place through learning by doing or internet platforms and forums.
Skills level at a glance
No significant difference in knowledge can be found between the federal states. The Austrian population scored between 40.8% and 43.3% on average for the knowledge-based questions.
The knowledge gaps are greatest in the areas of foundations and access as well as safety. More than half of the people surveyed are only at competence level 1, which means they score just under 20% of 100% on the knowledge-based test. People at this level have a basic understanding of the subject and can perform simple tasks under guidance, but not yet independently.
One fifth of the respondents achieve up to 40% (competence level 2). These people can already perform simple tasks independently, but sometimes still need support. In the area of problem solving and continuing learning, about a quarter of the respondents reach competence level 4 or higher. They have a deeper proficiency and can pass on their knowledge to others.
Partners of fit4internet in this project are:
Accenture, Federal Ministry of Finance, ETC, Federation of Austrian Industry, Austrian Federal Economic Chamber