Demographic and Socioeconomic Determinants Affecting Uses of the Internet in Indonesia

Abstract

The digital divide in Indonesia is rather big. This study aims to investigate the demographic and socioeconomic determinants affecting the quantity of uses of the Internet in Indonesia. The data used are based on the National Socioeconomic Survey in 2021. The object of the analysis is population aged 15 years and above possessing at least one digital gadget. The dependent variable is the purpose of the Internet use. The independent variables included gender, age, number of household members, marital status, education, employment status, place of dwelling, island of residence, and number of types of digital gadgets owned. A binary logistic regression model was employed in the analysis. The results of the study indicate that a higher quantity of uses of the Internet is associated with a female sex, younger age, smaller number of household members, unmarried status, higher education, dwelling in urban areas, living in Java Island, and owning more than one type of digital gadgets. These findings suggest the need to improve access to the Internet among men, older people, ever-married individuals, rural dwellers, and Outer Java inhabitants, to promote family planning, to improve education and accessibility of more types of digital gadgets in order to bridge the digital divide and to boost the global competitiveness index 4.0 in Indonesia.