The purpose of this study is to empirically analyze the impact of COVID-19 on the digital divide between people with disabilities and those without disabiliti es. Specifically, the study focuses on analyzing the changes in digital divide trends based ...
The purpose of this study is to empirically analyze the impact of COVID-19 on the digital divide between people with disabilities and those without disabiliti es. Specifically, the study focuses on analyzing the changes in digital divide trends based on four aspects of digital accessibility: motivational access, physical access, technical access, and utilization access. To accomplish this, the study utilizes data from the Korea Information Society Agency's 2019 (pre-COVID) and 2020 (post-COVID) surveys on digital divide. Using the propensity score matching method, the study conducted a difference-in-difference regression anal ysis on a total of 15,502 respondents, comparing the differences between the group of people with disabilities and the group without disabilities before and after COVID-19. This empirical analysis of the potential exacerbation of the digital divide due to COVID-19 is significant in discovering the reduction of the digital divide between people with disabilities and those without disabilities.
Furthermore, this study goes beyond discussions on dimensions such as simple possession or usage levels of digital devices and stimulates discussions on qualita tive dimensions, such as usage patterns and levels, regarding the digital divide, providing directions for future academic and policy discussions.