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Addressing Digital and AI Skills Gaps in European Living Areas: A Comparative Analysis of Small and Large Communities
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Survey study of 4,006 respondents across eight EU countries comparing AI awareness, attitudes, trust, and digital/AI skills between residents of small (<30,000) and large living areas, using factor analysis and non-parametric bivariate tests.
Problem
Disparities in AI knowledge, skills, and perceptions between residents of small and large European living areas, which may hinder economic and social growth in smaller communities.
Approach
Applies EFA/CFA to validate four latent factors (AI awareness, AI attitude, trust in AI solutions, trust in entities) from a 2021 survey, then uses Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests to compare small versus large population-sized areas and demographic and skill subgroups.
Key results
- Respondents in small areas reported significantly lower trust in AI solutions (p=0.02) and trust in entities (p=0.03) than those in large areas, while AI awareness and attitude did not differ significantly.
- Self-assessed digital skills were significantly lower in small areas (p<0.0001), but self-assessed AI skills did not differ (p=0.5).
- The four-factor model fit well in CFA (RMSEA=0.011, CFI=0.995, TLI=0.994, SRMR=0.03), with KMO=0.96 and all Cronbach's alpha above 0.8.
Measured effects reported in the paper
| What was changed | Where | Measured | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Live in a small rather than large population-sized area | European survey respondents · Small vs large population-sized areas | Trust in Gov Entities: 3.74 -> 3.68; p-value = 0.03 | Hurt |
| Live in a small rather than large population-sized area | European survey respondents · Small vs large population-sized areas | Trust in AI Solutions: 3.98 -> 3.91; p-value = 0.02 | Hurt |
| Live in a small rather than large population-sized area | European survey respondents · Small vs large population-sized areas | AI Awareness: 3.62 -> 3.57; p-value = 0.08 | No clear effect |
| Live in a small rather than large population-sized area | European survey respondents · Small vs large population-sized areas | AI Attitude: 3.68 -> 3.64; p-value = 0.1 | No clear effect |
| Live in a small rather than large population-sized area | European survey respondents · Small vs large population-sized areas | Self-assessed digital skills: p-value < 0.0001 | Hurt |
| Live in a small rather than large population-sized area | European survey respondents · Small vs large population-sized areas | Self-assessed AI skills: p-value = 0.5 | No clear effect |
Surprising findings
- Self-assessed AI skills did not differ between small and large area residents, although digital skills did.
Limitations
- Relies on a cross-sectional 2021 survey and bivariate tests without multivariable control for confounders.
- Small-area definition (<30,000 people) is a single threshold and small urban areas lack a universal definition.
Experimental setup
Datasets: Scantamburlo et al. 2023 AI awareness, attitude and trust survey (4,006 respondents, eight EU countries)
Metrics: Cronbach's alpha KMO RMSEA CFI TLI SRMR Mann-Whitney U p-value Kruskal-Wallis H p-value
Builds on: DIGCOMP
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