Information society and socio-economic characteristics in Europe: a typology of regions

Abstract

Research on the Information Society and its socio-economic context is limited at the European regional level. This research aims to identify the socio-economic and technological factors that define the underlying structure of household-individual (H+i) digital development, at NUTS 2 level, using Factor Analysis, with data that have been collected from Eurostat, and characterise the socio-economic environments associated with advanced ICT use using Cluster Analysis. We show that, at the regional level in Europe, the use of advanced ICT_H+i is related to GDP pc, the qualification of the population and high-tech employment; broadband internet access is associated with employment and the average educational level of the population; and the degree of innovation, business growth and ICT employment are decoupled from the level of ICT_H+i. The model defines a spatial performance that contrasts the southern and eastern European regions, with high availability of ICT infrastructures but low advanced use of them; with the central-northern regions, the most advanced in the EU in terms of ICT access and use, with adequate infrastructure and high upper-middle education levels that allow for the improvement of ICT skills and regional digital transformation.