Role of Socioeconomic, Infrastructural, and Technological Factors in Shaping the Digital Outcome Divide in South Bihar: Evidence from PLS-SEM
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Abstract
The present study analysed the effect of socioeconomic, infrastructural and technological factors on digital outcome gap among 473 respondents from five districts of south Bihar (Patna, Gaya, Nalanda, Jehanabad and Nawada) in India. The digital outcome divide (DOD) is viewed as a gap in the ability to translate digital engagement into concrete benefits across income, education, healthcare, and use of government services, rather than a divide in access to devices or connectivity. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire (bilingual English-Hindi) with pilot testing (n=50) and distributed through Google Forms and analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) in SmartPLS (version 4.1.1.2). The measurement model showed good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha 0.812-0.873; composite reliability 0.867-0.911) and convergent validity (AVE 0.568-0.624). Discriminant validity was verified by the Fornell-Larcker criterion. All three hypothesised pathways were positive and statistically significant. The strongest effect on digital outcomes was from technological elements (β = 0.354, t = 6.428, p < .001), followed by infrastructural elements (β = 0.312, t = 5.104, p < .001) and socioeconomic elements (β = 0.271, t = 4.821, p < .001), which collectively accounted for approximately 57.9 percent of the variance in digital outcomes. These results suggest digital access and affordability are necessary but not sufficient, and that online literacy and confidence in using technology effectively are the key determinants of whether access leads to better outcomes. The research contributes to the discourse on the digital divide by shifting the analytical focus from disparities orientated to access to inequalities orientated to outcomes, in a relatively underexplored rural Indian context, and provides empirical support for holistic policy strategies combining infrastructure development, online literacy programs and affordability improvements.
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