Covid-19 is catalysing a systemic shift in how we use digital platforms and more people are interacting digitally with their pensions and finances than ever before.

However, whilst the pandemic has prompted more frequent and effective engagement with technology for many, it has likely also exacerbated digital exclusion.

From 2009 to 2018, the proportion of UK adults over age 50 who reported regularly using the internet rose from 41 per cent to 74 per cent, driven by significant increases among people over 65.

Although use among the under-50s is almost universal, narrowing access gaps bring positive news for digital engagement among older cohorts.

At all ages however, participation rates mask substantial variation within and between population groups.

Today’s digital divides reflect differences not just in who can access new technologies, but how they use them and the outcomes they are able to achieve.

Explanations for variation in engagement are typically underpinned by factors that mirror existing social inequalities, shaped further by complex functional and attitudinal considerations.

The speed of digital transformation has precluded substantive opportunities to mitigate inequalities among low-use groups.

For these people, a blend of targeted policy interventions and support from financial services providers will be key to ensuring the availability and continuity of services or resources, and that they can meaningfully be used by those who need them.

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