The impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the development of the information society in Slovenia

Digital transformation is trending pursuant to the almost ubiquitous use of digital technology by private and public sectors, and general populations. The disruption caused by advancing technology requires strategic responses to mitigate the negative aspects of such disruption and generate positive change. Other disruption, moreover, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, additionally imposes limitations on what we consider to be normal life, further engendering the utilization of digital technology. Even though the impact of digital transformation can be assessed by means of different metrics, including the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI), they do not provide sufficient clarity in terms of pain points and improvement possibilities. The differences in relation to the availability of said technology and the skills necessary for its optimal use, which are closely related to user education level, age, and economic status, are additional parameters governments and policymakers need to consider, and data-driven decision-making is essential to ensure optimal policy-making and investment vis-à-vis digital transformation, such as the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility. This paper analyses Slovenia’s digital transformation between 2018 and 2021, using data collected from more than 5,000 respondents, to detect technology use differences in terms of demographics, focusing on the digital divide and the COVID-19 crisis, and compares Slovenia’s experience with other EU Member States, focusing especially on online public administration services. Our results evidence that the digital divide is the main differentiating factor in Slovenia and that gender is accordingly not of great import, and that Slovenia’s oldest generation and some members of younger generations face problems when endeavoring to digitally integrate. Compared to other EU Member States, Slovenia is average according to DESI, but the findings show that EU Member States should take its specifics into account to address their own DT paradigm.