Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/331314 
Year of Publication: 
2025
Series/Report no.: 
ITS 33rd European Conference 2025: "Digital innovation and transformation in uncertain times", Edinburgh, UK, 29th June – 1st July 2025
Publisher: 
International Telecommunications Society (ITS), Calgary
Abstract: 
Using the 2014 – 2021 waves of Spain's ICT-H household panel, we track Internet trust for 59,648 internet users across 130,013 person-year observations. A correlated random-effects ordered-probit model shows that improvements in digital skills and first-hand use of transactional services are the strongest and most consistent predictors of higher trust, while traditional socio-economic markers play a secondary role. Once skill levels are controlled, age differences largely vanish, but women still report lower trust and the pandemic years register a notable dip, pointing to attitudinal and systemic factors that skill policies alone cannot solve. The findings highlight the need for advanced skill training, guided initial transactions and robust consumer safeguards, particularly for women and low-income users, if Spain is to close its remaining trust gap and achieve inclusive digitalization.
Subjects: 
Internet trust
digital inclusion
socio-economic determinants
panel data
digital skills
Eco-RETINA
Spain
ICT-H survey
JEL: 
C33
D83
L86
O33
O35
Document Type: 
Conference Paper

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