Digital divide between rural and urban households in Russia

Introduction: digital transformation promotes the development of the agro-industrial complex, contributing to the high competitiveness of agricultural products. At the same time, the persistent digital inequality between the quality of life in rural and urban settlements limits the opportunities for full use of social benefits and hinders the development of the countryside. Objectives: to analyze the digital divide between the rural and urban population of the Russian Federation and its changes in 2014-2022. Methods: the research methodology includes the author’s approach to assessing digital inequality based on the calculation of absolute and relative digital divide indicators at the first (ICT use) and second (ICT capabilities and skills) levels between rural and urban areas of the Russian Federation, as well as a comparative analysis of the methods for assessing the digital skills of the population developed by the European Commission and Rosstat. Results: the research showed a decline in digital divide between the urban and rural population of the Russian Federation at the first level, i. e. in terms Internet access and broadband Internet access. Regarding the digital divide at the second level, a conclusion was made about the reduction of the digital divide between rural and urban settlements due to the development of mobile access to the Internet. However, the rural population remains significantly behind in ICT skills. Digital skills are one of the key reasons for not using the Internet. A comparative analysis of the digital skills assessment methods proposed by the European Commission and Rosstat allows us to identify the functional areas of their use and areas for supplementing the Russian methodology for collecting statistical data. Conclusions: public policy measures should currently be aimed primarily at teaching digital skills, especially in the field of security, data protection and solving problems in the digital environment. The recommendation is relevant for the population living in both rural and urban areas of Russia.