Analysis of Factors Influencing the Level of E-Commerce Utilization and Digital Social Participation According to the Changes in the Digital Trade Environment: Focusing on the Low-Income Class in Korea

Purpose - As the intact environment spread with the emergent of COVID-19, the use of mobile, Internet, and O2O(Online to Offline) services increased, and since it is expected that the digital transformation will be accelerated as a result, this study intended to provide policy implications by identifying factors that can increase the level of e-commerce use and digital participation in society under the consideration of that the attitude toward digital technology, digital-related capabilities, and the intention of digital transformation of the low-income group as vulnerable classes of the Korean people are significantly lower than that of the general public. Design/Methodology - A survey was carried out by Kantar Public of 2,200 national basic livelihood act recipients from the low-income group of the whole Korean people (as of August 2022) under the supervision of the Ministry of Science and ICT to secure the response data from September 1 to December 31, 2022, and multiple regression analysis using SPSS as well as mediation effect analysis using Process Macro were conducted. Findings - First, it was found that the attitude toward digital technology, digital capabilities, and the intention of digital transformation had a significant effect on the level of e-commerce use. Second, it was found that the attitude toward digital technology did not have a significant effect on digital participation in society. Third, when the attitude toward digital technology, digital capabilities, and the intention of digital transformation affect the level of e-commerce use, and when these also affect digital participation in society, it was found that digital social capital has a mediating effect. Originality/value - This study has academic implications in that those concepts of the capability approach and the theory of planned behavior have been expanded to include digital characteristics, the level of e-commerce use levels, and digital participation in society. In addition, it contributed to broadening and deepening the range of understanding so that the level of e-commerce use and digital participation in society can increase through the verification of the mediating effect of digital participation in society.