Digital Participation and the Covid-19 Pandemic. Evidence from Italy

This study examined the impact of digital technologies on political participation in Italy during the COVID-19 pandemic. A demoscopic survey conducted in October 2020 analysed the digital divide, Internet access as a right, e-voting, and civic and party platforms for political engagement. Four research questions were addressed. The first question asked about the relevance of the right to access for Italians. The second question explored Italians’ Internet usage for economic and political purposes, assessing the importance of political activities compared to other online activities. The third question investigated Italians’ inclination towards the use of ICT for remote voting at the national and local party levels, examining their preferences for expressing electoral choices through technology. The fourth question focused on civic and party platforms, investigating Italians’ interest in using digital tools for participating in local and party-level political activities. The article thus elaborates on the impact of digital technologies on political engagement in Italy amidst the accelerated spread of ICTs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Keywords: Digital technologies; Political participation; Italy; COVID-19 pandemic; Internet access; Civic and party platforms