Analysis of the Internet diffusion in the non-profit sector: the social digital divide in Italy

This paper analyzes Internet diffusion among various organizations, based on daily observation of second- level domain name registrations under the “.it” ccTLD. In particular, we analyzed domain names registered by organizations in the non-profit sector. The penetration rate, calculated according to the number of organizations, was computed for various widely separated geographic levels (regions). A concentration analysis was performed in order to determine whether the geographical distribution of Internet use in Italy is less concentrated with respect to both the number of existing institutions and income distribution, suggesting a diffusive effect. Regression analysis was performed using demographic, social, economic and infrastructure indicators. Results show that a “social digital divide” exists, both in terms of geographical distribution (i.e., in macro-areas – Northern, Central, and Southern Italy - and at the regional level) and in terms of the legal status of the organizations, and that this digital divide will probably decrease in the future.