The digital economy is one of the few growth certainties in an uncertain world. But the pace of this growth will not be determined by the rate of technological innovation itself. It will be determined by the people who use it.
The problem is that not everyone is optimistic about the digital future. If we want to drive future economic growth and personal prosperity, we need people to be more engaged and optimistic about their place in the digital economy.
The Digital Society Index
That, in a nutshell, is why Dentsu Aegis has developed the Digital Society Index 2018. This analysis ranks economies across three key dimensions: dynamism, inclusion and trust. Crucially, it draws on a survey of 20,000 people around the world to bring a human perspective to what is often treated as a purely economic issue. We’ll be updating the analysis over time to allow us to track historical performance.
Our findings? Well, it’s evident that many countries are making good progress in building a digital economy that works for all. The UK and US perform strongly, as does China, reflecting how consumers there are embracing new technologies such as mobile payments.
It is also clear that around the world people are less positive about the digital economy than we might have expected. We’ve calculated a digital engagement score, based on people’s optimism about the ability of the digital economy to generate employment; help address global challenges, such as healthcare; and overall ensure that the positive impacts outweigh the negative.
Globally, that score stands at 45%. The score varies by country and, generally speaking, more mature economies have the least engaged people.
