The Problem of the Digital Inequality of the Population in the Regions of the Russian Federation

The purpose of the article is to study the problem of digital inequality of the population in the spatial aspect and identify the specifics of its manifestation at the level of federal districts and regions of the Russian Federation. Research objectives: to substantiate the composition of indicators for assessing the digital inequality of the population of Russian regions; to study indicators of the digital inequality of the Russian population by federal districts; to propose a classification of Russian regions depending on the direction and sustainability of changes in indicators of digital inequality. The methodological basis of the study is a two-level approach to the diagnosis of digital inequality of the population, according to which digital inequality of the first order is distinguished, consisting in unequal conditions in access / use of information technologies; and digital inequality of the second order, determined by differences in the specifics of the use of information technologies by groups of the population. The composition of indicators for assessing the availability of digital information resources and the skills of using information and communication technologies by the population is substantiated. It is proved that, firstly, the scale of digital inequality in access to the Internet in the spatial aspect has significantly decreased; secondly, the inequality caused by differences in the specifics of the use of information technologies is significantly higher than the inequality in public access to the Internet; thirdly, the level of Internet use for public and municipal services higher than for ordering other goods and services. It is concluded that in the context of the active digitalization of the processes of providing state and municipal services, the identified "gaps" indicate the existence of inequality in the availability of these services for residents of various territories of the Russian Federation. The study confirmed the differentiation of the Russian population in terms of the possibilities of obtaining (purchasing) a wide range of goods and services provided through the use of digital government and commercial services. The results of the study can be used to improve the state policy of the Russian Federation in the field of digital transformation in the direction of its greater focus on solving the problem of digital inequality in the regions.