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Studies 28 March, 2023

The Digital Divide and Political Apathy: A Multivariate Logistic Regression Analysis of a Sample of Arab Opinion Index Data

Hicham Raïq

Professor of Quantitative Methods, Department of Social Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University; Researcher, Social & Economic Survey Research Institute.

This study seeks to measure the digital divide and its impact on political participation in selected Arab countries. It focuses in particular on assessing the role of demographic and socio-economic status (SES) in unequal access to the internet. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to predict political participation based on SES and internet use. acrobat Icon Based on Arab Opinion Index data, the results of the analysis indicate that SES (gender, age, income and educational level) plays a major role in the level of Internet access, and that the purpose for which the internet is used determines the likelihood of political participation. The results also indicate that vulnerable social groups are more reluctant to participate in political activities.


* This study was published in the 11th issue of AlMuntaqa, a peer-reviewed academic journal for the social sciences and humanities. You can read the full paper here.