Connecting the Dots: How Socio-economic Contexts Shape Digital Inclusion in Meghalaya
Project Lead
Sharon Buteau
Project Team
Subhra Sen
Yashita Jhurani, Ameya Dandekar
Yashita Jhurani, Ameya Dandekar
Location
Meghalaya
Partners
Government of Meghalaya
Over the past decade, India has emerged as a global leader in digital public infrastructure, with flagship platforms and applications such as UPI, ABHA, and e-Sanjeevani expanding across the country. However, connectivity and adoption vary widely across regions, while urban and southern states lead in connectivity, many rural and socio-economically disadvantaged regions lag behind. In the North-East, teledensity and internet penetration remain below national averages, with Meghalaya showing particularly low usage among women. Meghalaya has one of the lowest internet penetration rates in the country, with only 34.7% of women and 42.1% of men having ever used the internet (NFHS, 2019-20).
Against this backdrop, the Gender x Digital hub, in collaboration with the Government of Meghalaya, conducted a study to examine how socio-economic factors, income, education, and living standards, shape digital inclusion and exclusion across the state, with a particular focus on women and marginalized groups.
Research
Questions
Research Questions
This study examines the socio-economic, demographic, and infrastructural factors that influence access to and usage of mobile devices in Meghalaya. It further examines gender differences in barriers, enabling factors, and the broader impact of digital connectivity on health and safety.
- How do digital access and usage patterns vary across socio-economic groups, both at the household and individual levels?
- What factors influence individual digital proficiency and capability, and how are these shaped by intra-household dynamics and gendered barriers?
- How can user personas be leveraged to design actionable pathways for digital inclusion and gender-intentional use cases across health, finance, livelihoods, and governance?
Approach
This study adopted a mixed-methods approach to address key research questions, combining household- and individual-level surveys. A multi-stage stratified random sampling strategy guided by maximum variation and average case principles ensures representation across diverse geographic regions and socio-economic groups in Meghalaya.
The survey covered 1717 households and 3207 individuals (47% males and 52% females) across four districts. Households were selected through a listing exercise to identify the sampling frame and random sampling within the listing data. The analysis was then conducted by constructing a customised Multi-dimensional Poverty Index (MPI) for Meghalaya, with households being classified into three percentile categories to capture relative deprivation: least deprived, moderately deprived and highly deprived. Additionally, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions were conducted to get deeper insights into the state’s context.
Research Questions
This study examines the socio-economic, demographic, and infrastructural factors that influence access to and usage of mobile devices in Meghalaya. It further examines gender differences in barriers, enabling factors, and the broader impact of digital connectivity on health and safety.
- How do digital access and usage patterns vary across socio-economic groups, both at the household and individual levels?
- What factors influence individual digital proficiency and capability, and how are these shaped by intra-household dynamics and gendered barriers?
- How can user personas be leveraged to design actionable pathways for digital inclusion and gender-intentional use cases across health, finance, livelihoods, and governance?
Approach
This study adopted a mixed-methods approach to address key research questions, combining household- and individual-level surveys. A multi-stage stratified random sampling strategy guided by maximum variation and average case principles ensures representation across diverse geographic regions and socio-economic groups in Meghalaya.
The survey covered 1717 households and 3207 individuals (47% males and 52% females) across four districts. Households were selected through a listing exercise to identify the sampling frame and random sampling within the listing data. The analysis was then conducted by constructing a customised Multi-dimensional Poverty Index (MPI) for Meghalaya, with households being classified into three percentile categories to capture relative deprivation: least deprived, moderately deprived and highly deprived. Additionally, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions were conducted to get deeper insights into the state’s context.
Policy
Implications
Insights from the study can inform the design of pilots and user-intervention pathways, testing what works for different user groups instead of assuming universal adoption. By centering autonomy, tailoring strategies, fostering safe digital environments, and applying measurement evidence to practice, digital access can become a lever for more equitable development outcomes across health, livelihoods, financial services, governance, and other high-impact use cases. To further strengthen digital programming, there is a need for better measurement and continued monitoring of digital access and usage that, especially among women.
