Digital Payment Barriers and Exclusion among Tribal Households in Bargarh, Odisha

The use of digital payments expands access to financial services, but living individuals may not be able to cross the divide from access to use. This study examines potential patterns of digital payment access, use, and exclusion in the context of tribal households in Bargarh, Odisha. This study uses a simulation based exploratory approach rather than primary field data. A synthetic dataset of three hundred household records was generated for the analysis. A simulation seed created 42 variables used to construct households and their characteristics. After constructing the simulated households, digital payment and barrier related variables were generated for analysis. Descriptive data, hypothesis tests, and regression analysis were performed. Logistic regression was used to identify barriers to digital payment transactions for households. Within the simulated dataset, 87% of households had bank accounts, 63% had independent access to smartphones, 73% made a digital payment within the 90-day time period, and 25% were excluded from transactions because of barriers. Barriers depended on having an independent smartphone. The language interface was more difficult to use, and households were more likely to be excluded as a result. The simulations used implies that the results are specific to the Bargarh area and need to be verified.