Nine in ten Europeans would include digital skills into education at all levels, according to Eurobarometer survey

Nine in ten Europeans would include digital skills into education at all levels, according to Eurobarometer survey

According to the Eurobarometer Survey “Future Needs in Digital Education” published on 11 December, nine in ten Europeans would include digital skills into education at all levels. The survey  reveals citizens’ views on the importance of digital skills in education, including the role of teachers, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI), and the benefits and challenges of technology in teaching and learning.

EU citizens overwhelmingly agree (92%) that schools have a critical role to play in teaching how to cope with the potential negative impacts of digital technologies on mental health and wellbeing. Moreover, 78% of Europeans believe that digital skills should receive the same amount of attention at school as reading, mathematics, and science. 80% agree that digital literacy helps protect them against online misinformation and disinformation. A strong majority (89%) believe that all teachers should be equipped with the necessary skills to teach students how to discern fact from fiction online and navigate the complexities of digital information.

Although respondents express overall support for the ban of smartphones in schools (69%), there is a broad consensus (87%) in favour of promoting digital technologies specifically designed for learning in schools. At the same time, more than half (54%) recognise that AI brings both benefits and challenges for teaching and learning and call for its further assessment.

Citizens believe the EU has an important role to play in setting standards for the use of digital technologies in education, for example on data protection or AI (49%).

Digital Skills Eurobarometer available here.