5 insights to guide ASEAN’s digital generation in a post-pandemic world
来源:World Economic Forum;发表于:2022-03-07;人气指数:363
5
insights to guide ASEAN’s digital generation in a post-pandemic world
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/10/5-insights-to-guide-asean-s-digital-generation-in-a-post-pandemic-world/
Image: REUTERS/Willy
Kurniawan - RC2K1N9C16DM
13 Oct 2021
Joo-Ok Lee
Head, Regional Agenda
- Asia-Pacific; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum
Santitarn Sathirathai
Group Chief
Economist, Sea
*We surveyed 86,000
people from six ASEAN countries about their views for a post-pandemic world.
*The ASEAN Digital
Generation Report reveals five common trends.
*These include hope
for a more caring society and digitization as a driver of economic recovery.
In just one year,
spurred by a global pandemic, the world has undergone a dramatic change, marked
by widespread and systematic changes to how we live and work. However, as
countries around the globe work towards bringing the virus under control, many
are beginning to reimagine a future post the pandemic.
To better understand
what this “post-pandemic” world will look like, especially in the context of
the ASEAN region, one of the fastest evolving digital economies in the world,
we surveyed 86,000 people from six ASEAN countries. This ASEAN Digital
Generation Report is the latest edition of a continuing collaboration
between the World Economic Forum and Sea, a Singapore-based global consumer
internet company, since 2017.
In examining the
group’s experience during the pandemic and future outlook, we found these five
common trends that will be key to preparing the future for ASEAN.
1. A long road to the
new world
Reaching the
post-pandemic world will be no easy feat. Nearly 70% of respondents expect the
pandemic to last beyond 2021, with 39% expecting it to last for 3 years or
longer and 13% believing the pandemic would never end. However, once it does,
nearly two-thirds think that life will be significantly different compared to
pre-pandemic times.
This is perhaps not
surprising given the significant impact the pandemic has had on their lives.
Some 60% of people reported a decline in income and savings, with over 40%
saying it was a significant deterioration. Beyond its economic impact, many
respondents, particularly women, reported declines in social, mental and
physical health outcomes during the pandemic.
Despite these
challenges, many respondents were able to deftly adapt to their changing
circumstances, with 27% of them having created new businesses during the
pandemic. This trend was strongest among those in the wholesale and retail
trade sector, with 50% of them doing the same.
2. A future with
better healthcare, a more caring society and greater technology adoption
The ASEAN digital
generation’s hopes and fears clearly reflect the challenges they faced during
the pandemic as discussed above. The respondents foresaw a future with better
health and hygiene, a more caring society and greater adoption of digital
technologies, citing these as the most likely things to happen in a
post-pandemic world. Notably, respondents ranked the possibility of a more
caring society very highly, perhaps reflecting how different communities have
bonded to support one another during these challenging times.
On the other hand,
they were also particularly concerned about future economic crises, future
pandemics and a rise of misinformation, citing them as their three biggest
worries post the pandemic.
Image: ASEAN Digital
Generation Report 2021
3. Digitalization as
a driver of economic recovery
One consistent finding
throughout the survey was how the respondents believe technology will play a
vital role in supporting their own livelihoods as well as the economy at large.
This is particularly true for those that were harder hit by the pandemic. For
example, 85% of respondents, especially women and owners of MSMEs, consider
digitalization as important to economic recovery.
We also asked
respondents about their current and intended future use of digital tools across
the different aspects of their lives (e.g., in their work, study, finance and
personal lives). We found that, on average, around 43% to 66% of respondents
wanted to digitalize their lives more. For MSME owners, the desire was even
greater at 51% to 76%.
Interestingly, we
also found evidence that digitalization benefits from the “flywheel effect”,
whereby the more digitalized you are, the more likely you are to desire further
digitalization. Notably, 70% to 86% of respondents, who are already active
digital users, would like to increase their level of digitalization. This is a
stark difference compared to the 15% to 32% of those who were less active
users.
A potential
explanation for this is that as people use digital tools more, their benefits
become more apparent, which then incentivizes them to use them more.
Conversely, those who do not partake in digital tools have less exposure to
their benefits and are thus less incentivized to increase adoption.
4. The need to tackle
barriers to digital adoption.
To identify these
barriers we asked respondents about the factors preventing them from
digitalizing further and what can be done to best promote digitalization in the
economy. In both cases, over half of the respondents cited access to affordable
and quality internet as their top constraint. The issue of internet access is
also a consistent theme seen in most countries, not only at the regional level.
Another key barrier
identified was their level of digital skills, including a lack of confidence
and understanding of where to use them. This barrier is particularly acute for
the relatively less active digital users, who are still in the initial phases
of technology adoption and thus have yet to understand its benefits.
For more active
users, concerns shift away from digital skills and towards trust and security.
Given the
cross-cutting nature of these barriers, tackling them would require a
multi-stakeholder approach at both country and regional level to ensure better
coordination among governments, private sector players as well as civil
societies.
5. Becoming
future-proof
We asked ASEAN’s
digital generation what they think the three most important skills will be for
the post-pandemic world. While the ability to use technology topped the charts,
it was closely followed behind by soft skills, such as creativity &
innovation, self-discipline and resilience & adaptability.
Image: ASEAN Digital
Generation Report 2021
During the pandemic,
significant digital skill transfers occurred. Furthermore, these transfers were
intergenerational, as youths (aged 16-35) were more likely to be “teachers”,
while those older tended to be “learners”. Perhaps, there could be more
programs to further support these types of skills transfers between the digital
natives and those less digitally adept within communities.
The survey also found
that, in general, the digital generations are not very confident in the skills
they deem as important for the future. For example, while 38% of respondents
thought creativity and innovation as an important skill, only 26% considered
themselves proficient.
This highlights the
urgent need for further upskilling and reskilling initiatives to ensure that
this digital generation is equipped for a post-pandemic world and beyond.