A latent profile analysis of DigComp dimensions and the alignment with EU digital goals : a case of Slovenia

Dečman, Mitja (author), Klun, Maja (author), Stare, Janez (author)

The European Union’s Digital Decade strategy, structured around the Digital Compass, identifies digital skills as a key dimension to ensure that at least 80% of the population possesses basic digital competencies by 2030. According to the DESI 2024 report, only the Netherlands and Finland have already reached this benchmark, while other member states, including Slovenia, lag behind. In 2023, only 46.7% of Slovenian citizens demonstrated at least basic digital skills, highlighting the urgency of addressing the digital divide. Drawing on resource and appropriation theory and digital capital theory, this study investigates the relationship between personal and positional resources, digital skills, and ICT usage. Using data from 2,585 Slovenian respondents in the EU Survey on the Use of ICT in Households and by Individuals (EUROSTAT), we conducted a latent profile analysis (LPA) to identify patterns across the five competence areas defined in the DigComp framework. The analysis produced five distinct digital skill profiles. Results indicate that older individuals are significantly more likely to belong to low-skilled profiles, while income does not exert a strong influence. Conversely, younger and lower-income respondents showed a higher probability of belonging to semi-skilled groups characterized by weak digital design competences and overconfidence in their abilities. These findings provide empirical evidence to guide policymakers in designing targeted interventions to strengthen digital competences across demographic groups. The research also demonstrates an approach that can be replicated across EU member states to support progress toward the Digital Decade’s 2030 objectives.

• Language: English
• Keywords: digital decade, digital skills, EU, Slovenia, latent profile analysis
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FU - Faculty of Administration
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: Str. 46-68
• Numbering: Iss. 45
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-176583
• UDC: 32:004.89(497.4)(4-6EU)
• ISSN on article: 2559-6489
• DOI: 10.24818/amp/2025.45-03
• COBISS.SI-ID: 259938563

Copyright

Licenca Creative Commons je navedena na spletnih straneh revije pri založniku (glej izvorni URL): The journal offers access to the contents in the open access system on the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (https://www.ramp.ase.ro/). (Datum opombe 4. 12. 2025)

• Publication date in RUL: 04.12.2025

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Administraţie şi management public
• Shortened title: Adm. manag. public
• Publisher: Editura ASE
• ISSN: 2559-6489
• COBISS.SI-ID: 134947843

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: digitalno desetletje, digitalne spretnosti, EU, Slovenija, analiza latentnih profilov

Projects

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: P2-0426
• Name: Digitalna preobrazba za pametno javno upravljanje