Sustainable digital public services delivery plan 2025 - 2028: impact assessments

1. Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA)

1.1 Summary of Aims and Desired Outcomes of Policy

The refreshed Digital Strategy for Scotland sets out our vision for digital alongside a set of subject-specific delivery plans.

In delivering our vision we want to see a Scotland where:

• Our people can connect to digital opportunities Everyone has the chance to thrive in the digital world – whether it’s staying connected with friends and family, pursuing education, or accessing essential services. We are committed to ensuring that no one is left behind; every individual should be empowered to seize all available digital opportunities and enjoy the benefits they bring.
• Our businesses create economic growth There is a vibrant tech ecosystem, where businesses work with academia, the public sector and each other to start, scale and expand internationally. We attract investment because we have the right people and ideas.
• Our public sector delivers improved public services Digital innovation transforms Scotland’s public services, making them smarter, faster, and fairer. By placing efficiency, high-quality customer service, and prevention at the core, we can transform how our nation delivers public services and achieves better outcomes for everyone. At the same time, robust cyber security ensures everyone can trust and embrace digital services, confident that their information is protected.

1.2 Executive Summary

The refreshed Digital Strategy for Scotland reflects new political priorities, evolving technology, and a changed delivery context. As such it recognises that digital is increasingly central to tackling major public service challenges. It provides an opportunity to sharpen our strategic oversight, clarifying the long-term vision, and brings a sharper focus on delivery and accountability.

As with the 2021 iteration, this is a joint effort with Local Government, represented by the Confederation of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) and the Digital Office for Scottish Local Government. As the Strategy was refreshed in response to the changing delivery context it represents a new approach to implementation, rather than content change.

The refreshed Strategy takes a federated approach, with an overarching Vision setting out our high-level ambitions for Scotland as a digitally-enabled nation. Nested underneath this are a series of delivery plans, owned and implemented by relevant portfolio areas. These set out in detail how the overarching Vision is being delivered for each area. The first of these is a Sustainable Digital Public Services Delivery Plan (Delivery Plan), published on 18 November 2025 at the same time as the Vision.

The scope of this EQIA is to provide an overall equality assurance for the Delivery Plan. The impact on individuals with protected characteristics caused by the Delivery Plan has been assessed against the three aims of the Public Sector Equality Duty.

It will be necessary for relevant portfolio areas to undertake individual EQIAs as and when any new policies and delivery plans in the Strategy are pursued.

Based on the evidence gathered, the EQIA process has not identified any significant negative equality impacts stemming from the Vision or Delivery Plan.

Moreover, it is expected that policies contained within and stemming from the refreshed Vision and Delivery Plan will have a positive effect on a number of individuals with certain protected characteristics.

1.3 Background

The Scottish Government’s previous Digital Strategy, ‘A Changing Nation: How Scotland Will Thrive in a Digital World’, was published in 2021. ‘The Digital Strategy for Scotland’ is a refreshed Strategy in response to the evolving context in which digital is delivered. As with the 2021 iteration, it is a joint effort with Local Government (represented by COSLA and the Digital Office for Scottish Local Government), making a reality of the aspiration for partnership government that is outlined in the Verity House agreement. The Strategy is co-owned, co-designed and will be co-delivered.

It acknowledges that digital technology is now at the forefront of society in a way it never has been before, with more of us than ever gaining the confidence to use and benefit from it. The Strategy also acknowledges that exclusion from the digital world can limit our life chances. Digital technology therefore impacts, to some extent, upon all organisations and individuals in Scotland.

The refreshed Strategy takes a federated approach and is a change in implementation from the 2021 Strategy, rather than a significant shift in content. Many of the key themes of the 2021 Strategy pull through to this refresh, but with a stronger focus on delivery and clearer accountability across the public sector.

The refreshed Strategy consists of an overarching Vision, which is a short and focused articulation setting out at a high level what our digital ambitions are across government.

Nested underneath this is a set of supporting delivery plans. These will address the barriers to digital participation which affect low-income households, older adults, people with disabilities, and those living in rural or remote areas.

The delivery plans will detail what we are doing, why we are doing it, who is doing it, when it will happen, and how we will measure our progress and impact. The delivery plans will be updated regularly and are owned and implemented by relevant portfolio areas.

This approach means we can separate our long-term ambition from the detailed delivery plans. These begin with a delivery plan that focuses on Digital Public Services, published at the same time as the Vision.

1.4 The Scope of the EQIA

The scope of this EQIA is to provide an overall assurance for the Delivery Plan. It will be necessary for relevant portfolio areas to undertake individual Equality Impact Assessments as and when any new policies in the strategy are pursued.

The following information outlines the groups and areas assessed, the protected characteristics that were considered in the assessment, and details of evidence gathering and engagement.

The groups and areas have been assessed against the three aims of the Public Sector Equality Duty, which ensure public authorities have due regard to the need to:

1. Eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation, and any other prohibited conducts

2. Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not

3. Foster good relations between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not

1.5 Key Findings

Age

Data shows that there has been a notable increase in internet use among older citizens over the past two decades, specifically those aged 60+ where this figure has risen from 29% in 2007 to 77% in 2023.

Despite this increase there are lower rates of internet use among older adults than among younger adults. In 2023, almost all (99%) adults aged 16-34 reported using the internet compared to 77% of those aged 60+.

The data also shows that younger internet users were more likely to access the internet using a smartphone than older users, with 97% of 16–34-year-olds using smartphones compared with 78% of adults aged 60+. Older internet users were more likely than younger users to use a tablet to access the internet.^[1]

Older internet users are less likely to adopt internet security measures than younger internet users. While the most common online security measures taken by adults using the internet were avoiding opening emails or attachments from unknown people (75%) and avoiding giving personal information online (71%), a higher proportion of internet users who were older answered that they adopted none of the online security measures mentioned.^[2]

A 2024 survey by Ipsos MORI also found that age continues to be the dominant driver of digital capability, with almost nine in ten of those aged over 50 considered to have ‘Very Low’ digital capability.^[3]

Disability

The level of internet use is the same for people between the ages of 16-34 who have a limiting long-term physical or mental health condition or illness (99%) as those who do not have a limiting long-term condition or illness (99%).

However, the level of internet use for people between the ages of 35-59 who have a limiting long-term condition or illness is lower (93%) than people in the same age category who do not have a limiting long-term condition or illness (99%). Only 69% of adults with a limiting long-term condition or illness aged 60+ reported using the internet, compared with 83% of adults aged 60+ who do not have a limiting long-term condition or illness.^[4]

Research also shows that adults with a physical or mental health condition are more concerned with internet security than those who do not have a condition. For example, those with either a limiting or non-limiting condition are less likely to enter their personal information on websites, buy goods online and bank online than those who do not have a physical or mental health condition.^[5]

Sex

The most recent statistics on internet use in the UK by sex, shows that there is little difference between men and women. At the time of publication, 92% of men and 90% of women had used the internet in the previous three months. 6.3% of men and 9% of women stated they had never used the internet.^[6]

Pregnancy and Maternity

There is limited data regarding pregnancy and maternity and use of the internet.

Gender Reassignment

There are no significant differences in digital participation between adults whose gender identity was the same as their sex registered at birth and adults whose gender identity was different from their sex registered at birth.^[7]

Sexual Orientation

There is limited data regarding sexual orientation and use of internet for Scotland, although recent UK Government statistics for internet usage shows bisexual adults (97%) and gay or lesbian adults (97%) were more likely to use the internet than heterosexual or straight adults (93%) and adults from the other sexual orientation classification (88%). Adults from the other sexual orientation classification (88%) were less likely to use the internet compared to all other sexual orientation classifications (93-97%).^[8]

Race

UK Government data shows that adults from the Chinese (96%), Any Other Asian background (99%), Black African (96%) and Any Other White background (97%) ethnic groups were more likely to use the internet compared to the average for adults in England (92%).^[9]

Religion or Belief

Differences in internet use by most religions or beliefs are not particularly large. Historically, those who report their religion as Church of Scotland or Roman Catholic are less likely to report using the internet than other groups. However, it is possible that this is linked to age, with older people overrepresented in these categories.^[10]

UK Government data shows that adults from the No Religion classification (96%) were more likely to use the internet compared to the average for adults in England (92%). Christian (89%), Jewish (87%) and Sikh (85%) adults were less likely to use the internet compared to the average for adults in England (92%).^[11]

1.6 Recommendations and Conclusion

The delivery plans nested under the overarching Vision will set out in greater detail what we are doing, why we are doing it, who is doing it, when it will happen, and how we will measure our progress and impact. The plans will be updated regularly and will be owned and implemented by relevant portfolio areas. Further EQIAs will be required for the remaining delivery plans as and when required.

The Delivery Plan is a portfolio of digital transformation projects and plans. The individual areas responsible for delivering these policies and plans will be required to carry out detailed EQIAs for each workstream, building equalities into their policy-making processes to ensure they are reducing inequality of outcome and that improved services benefit every community, fairly and fully.

Collecting and reviewing robust data about how users interact with digital government, and the barriers to equality they are facing, will be easier once we are able to aggregate individual components into complete service journeys. This data will become available through the new Scottish Government Public Services app. This will be a focus of the next iteration of the Delivery Plan, enabling further improvements for those with protected characteristics who are experiencing disadvantage.

Our recent Public Service Reform Strategy commits to delivering public services in a way that is both ethical and inclusive. We continue to recognise the importance of non-digital routes for citizens to access services, and existing public services will still have paper-based and manual processes for those who cannot use digital solutions.

In conclusion, the evidence gathered as part of the EQIA process has not identified any significant negative equality impacts stemming from the refreshed Strategy and its associated workstreams.

Moreover, it is expected that policies contained within and stemming from the refreshed Strategy and its associated policies and delivery plans will have a positive effect on a number of individuals with certain protected characteristics.