Determinants of 21st-century digital skills: A large-scale survey among working professionals

an article by Ester van Laar, Alexander J. A. M. van Deursen and Jan A. G. M. van Dijk (University of Twente, the Netherlands) and Jos de Haan (The Netherlands Institute for Social Research SCP, The Hague, the Netherlands) published in Computers in Human Behavior Volume 100 (November 2019)

Highlights

• Conducted a survey to examine determinants of 21st-century digital skills.
• The sample included 1,222 professionals working within the creative industries.
• The results show that the skill levels vary substantially.
• Each skill is explained by a different set of determinants.
• The development of each skill asks for a unique policy-targeting approach.

Abstract

The current workplace increasingly asks for workers with highly digitally skilled knowledge who produce and distribute ideas and information. As such, understanding the factors behind differences in the level of various 21st-century digital skills is of decisive importance.

This study aims to examine

1. the level of 21st-century digital skills among knowledge workers, and
2. the determinants contributing to the level of these skills.

The following digital skills are investigated: information, communication, collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, and problem solving.

Potential determinants that can be influenced by stakeholders are also included, such as social support and training. A large-scale online survey was conducted among professionals (N = 1,222) who work within knowledge-intensive creative industries.

The results show that the level of 21st-century digital skills varies considerably. Furthermore, each 21st-century digital skill is explained by a different set of determinants, thereby requiring unique approaches for the development of each skill.

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