The self-assessed information security skills of the Finnish population: A regression analysis

Le résumé fourni par la source

Instead of traditional services, citizens are increasingly being offered e-services, which require information security skills. However, the majority of research on information security skills has been conducted in homogenous groups of people. The purpose of this study was to describe self-assessed information security skills of the population of Finland and factors associated with the skills. A population survey covering inhabitants aged 20 and upwards was conducted from September 2020 to February 2021. The cross-sectional dataset was weighted (n = 6023) to ensure it represented the population. Descriptive statistics were used to establish an initial understanding. Then a regression analysis was conducted to identify the variables that were associated with information security skills. The results demonstrate that 78% of the respondents assessed their information security skills as good. There was a strong positive association between Internet skills and information security skills. Other factors that demonstrated a statistically significant association were age, level of education, financial situation, e-service use, information security concerns, functional health deficits, and major depression. Even though the majority of people were confident in their information security skills in the online environment, there was evidence of a skills gap that affected people in all age groups, more often senior citizens. The findings of this study increase our understanding of information security skills at the population level. The results can be used to identify groups who are not confident in their information security skills and for designing safer e-services and education or guidelines on information security.

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