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IPS236 Ksenija D. et al.
1674, with basic or above basic overall digital skills. Additionally, Model 1
included GDP per capita in PPS, while Model 2 included additionally Level of
internet access for households, performing the second regressor. Both
models, shown that an increase in each of the independent variables would
result with a statistically significant increase in the regression value of the
main variable under study at 1% significance level. Clustering method
resulted with four clusters. Regarding all four variables studied here, as the
result of clustering, highly developed countries, Belgium, France, Austria,
Czech R., Slovakia, Estonia, Spain, Malta, Slovenia, Ireland, gathered in Cluster
1. The countries, being economically and digitally the most developed ones,
Denmark, Germany, Finland, United Kingdom, Netherlands and Sweden,
clustered in Cluster 2, separately. These countries are leaders regarding the
Digital Society indicators. Eight SEE countries, the EU-28 members plus four
EU candidate countries (Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece, Croatia, Montenegro,
Romania, FYR of Macedonia, Turkey, with exception of Cyprus), clustered in
the same, Cluster 3. Cluster 4 collected Italy, Cyprus, Portugal, Lithuania,
Latvia, Hungary and Poland.
More efforts for improved education regarding the prerequisite for
better performance of Digital Society over European countries, which
includes internet usage and digital literacy, based on improved feeling for
financial transactions security, should come from various sides, from
governments, educators, employers, employees, citizens, and from national
statistical societies. So, governments should offer more adequate legal frame
and support for it; educators might should develop and adopt adjusted
educational programs; employers might show more understanding by giving
more opportunities for additional education on digital and related types of
literacy, such as statistical, media and financial literacies; and employees’,
facing some skill gaps, should pose request for continuous adults’ education
not only for digital, but also numerical, statistical and financial literacy.
Regarding digitisation and globalisation, for what here studied main variable
studied (Percentage of individuals who ordered goods or services via
Internet), is just an example, the national statistical societies (NSAs) might
have an extra challenge and could be of higher influence. NSAs’ role at
national, European and international level might be of higher importance
and more visible, if they could find the way to support “digital skills – based”
statistical literacy improving and spreading. Especially those NSAs, which,
either research and analyse statistical literacy indicators and respective
education process development, trying to influence them, or directly
encourage and support up-to-date “digital skills – based” education
programs in statistics, might contribute to an increase of Digital Society
related indicators (Internet Ordering, Purchases or other similar), through
rising voice pro more adjusted programs, not solely regarding statistical, but
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