From recognizing fake news to installing apps: the Dutch are among the European top digitally | Domestic

In two years, the number of people with the right basic skills has increased by five percent. We are best at online communication: e-mailing, calling via the Internet, using social networks and responding online to political and social issues. No fewer than 95 percent of Dutch people have more than just basic qualities here and therefore score above average.

According to CBS, Dutch people are also good at looking up information online, reading news and recognizing fake news. Almost nine in ten people (88 percent) can do this better than the basic level. 82 percent are good at using computers and online services (shopping online, installing apps, taking an online course).

People are significantly less digitally agile in the software field. Only six in ten Dutch people (62 percent) over the age of 12 can handle word processing and spreadsheet software well or actually program. That is the same as in 2021. When it comes to privacy protection, three-quarters of the residents are more than sufficiently competent.

Good ICT skills have a lot to do with age and education. In the age category 25 to 45 years, the number of people with good basic skills is twice as high as among older people between 65 and 75 years. Compared to people over 75, this is even four times as much. Dutch people with a university or higher vocational education are also much more digitally skilled than those who have at most a VMBO diploma. Men are also slightly more likely than women to have more than basic digital skills (53 percent compared to 47 percent).

About 6,000 Dutch people over the age of 12 participated in the CBS survey, which took place from April to July. Digital skills were identified in five sub-areas: information and digital literacy, online communication, computers and online services, privacy protection and software use.

Someone has more than basic digital skills if they score above average in all five areas. Half of all Dutch people succeeded this time, in 2021 this was 48 percent.

Research into digital skills is done in much the same way in other EU countries. The Dutch are doing particularly well in the digital field compared to other Member States. Two years ago, our country was at the top of the rankings, together with Finland: 79 percent of its inhabitants had at least basic digital skills. The list works with a slightly different age group: from 16 to 75 years. That is why the Dutch percentage differs slightly from that previously mentioned above for 2021.

It is still unclear whether that is the case again. The ranking for 2023 can only be made after all EU countries have provided their research data. However, the chance of a high rating seems high. In the age category 16-75, which the EU uses, the digital dexterity of Dutch people has increased to 83 percent. That is 4 percent higher than in 2021. Our country has already exceeded the EU target for 2030. By then, 80 percent of the EU population must have at least basic digital skills.