The second-level digital divide in Germany: A typology of digital literacy among internet users

Digital technologies increasingly shape the way we communicate, collaborate and participate in society. People lacking digital literacy are, therefore, prone to exclusion in today’s digital world. To identify digital divides and vulnerable groups in Germany, we first developed a comprehensive framework for the measurement of digital literacy that future research can build on. Subsequently, we used cluster analyses to create a typology of German internet users based on their digital literacy. We found that literacy levels between types differed significantly and that digital divides are associated with differences in sociodemographic variables as well as with the use of and certain attitudes towards digital technologies. Our typology offers valuable insights about digital divides in Germany and can therefore serve as a baseline for digital education policies.