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<p>This paper examines generational inequalities in digital access, capability, and safety within India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), with a particular focus on older adults who remain unevenly integrated into the country’s rapidly expanding digital ecosystem. While India has achieved large-scale connectivity and digitalisation, the inclusion of ageing populations remains constrained by capability gaps, design barriers, and limited digital confidence. Using nationally representative data from the NSS Comprehensive Modular Survey on Telecom [<CitationRef CitationID="CR1">1</CitationRef>], the study analyses patterns of device ownership, internet-use ability, digital financial capability, and cyber-safety awareness among older adults. Intergenerational disparities are quantified using a Relative Digital Divide framework, while logistic regression models assess age gradients within older cohorts. An eco-social lens situates elderly digital exclusion within structural, socio-demographic, and technological determinants. State-level variation is examined by correlating elderly digital indicators with economic performance (GSDP per capita). Findings are based on self-reported measures of digital engagement. Substantial intergenerational and intra-older age disparities persist. While mobile device access has expanded, fewer than half of elderly individuals report the ability to use the internet independently, and only 8% know how to report cyber fraud. Gender and rural–urban inequalities further compound these gaps. Regression results show that digital disadvantage intensifies with advancing age, particularly for higher-order tasks such as online banking. State-level patterns indicate that economic development alone does not fully explain variation in elderly digital inclusion. The findings underscore the need to embed age-responsive design standards, assisted digital support systems, and targeted cyber-safety literacy initiatives within India’s evolving DPI architecture. Strengthening grievance redress mechanisms and integrating senior-focused safeguards can help ensure that digital transformation enhances autonomy, equity, and security across the life course.</p>

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Bridging India’s generational digital divide: rethinking digital public infrastructure for elderly inclusion

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年6月20日

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  • Sudeshna Dey,
  • Sohini Paul

摘要

This paper examines generational inequalities in digital access, capability, and safety within India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), with a particular focus on older adults who remain unevenly integrated into the country’s rapidly expanding digital ecosystem. While India has achieved large-scale connectivity and digitalisation, the inclusion of ageing populations remains constrained by capability gaps, design barriers, and limited digital confidence. Using nationally representative data from the NSS Comprehensive Modular Survey on Telecom [1], the study analyses patterns of device ownership, internet-use ability, digital financial capability, and cyber-safety awareness among older adults. Intergenerational disparities are quantified using a Relative Digital Divide framework, while logistic regression models assess age gradients within older cohorts. An eco-social lens situates elderly digital exclusion within structural, socio-demographic, and technological determinants. State-level variation is examined by correlating elderly digital indicators with economic performance (GSDP per capita). Findings are based on self-reported measures of digital engagement. Substantial intergenerational and intra-older age disparities persist. While mobile device access has expanded, fewer than half of elderly individuals report the ability to use the internet independently, and only 8% know how to report cyber fraud. Gender and rural–urban inequalities further compound these gaps. Regression results show that digital disadvantage intensifies with advancing age, particularly for higher-order tasks such as online banking. State-level patterns indicate that economic development alone does not fully explain variation in elderly digital inclusion. The findings underscore the need to embed age-responsive design standards, assisted digital support systems, and targeted cyber-safety literacy initiatives within India’s evolving DPI architecture. Strengthening grievance redress mechanisms and integrating senior-focused safeguards can help ensure that digital transformation enhances autonomy, equity, and security across the life course.