Summary

Young People are still referred to as digital natives, although numerous studies have shown differences in their access to digital devices, Internet usage and attitude towards digitalisation. Research findings suggest that students cannot directly transfer their digital skills to their study situation. 
 
The study aims to measure the degree of digitalisation by means of an index, which was developed in the context of a large-scale survey among first-semester students in Austria (n=4,822). This paper outlines the development and assessment of the DDS-Index and uses it to analyse differences in the degree of digitalisation of students in order to draw conclusions about the digital divide at universities.