Self-reported Digital Literacy among Female Service-sector Workers in Semarang, Indonesia: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

This study described self-reported digital literacy among female service-sector workers in Semarang, Indonesia, using the four dimensions of the Indonesian national digital-literacy framework: digital skills, digital culture, digital ethics, and digital safety. A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted from January to February 2024. A total of 360 adult female workers who used digital devices and had internet access participated through a voluntary online convenience sample recruited by email and social media. The questionnaire comprised 31 items rated on a five-point Likert scale. Item means, standard deviations, and unweighted domain means were calculated. The highest domain mean was observed for digital skills (M = 4.316), followed by digital culture (M = 4.055), digital ethics (M = 4.021), and digital safety (M = 3.974). Respondents reported particularly high confidence in connecting devices to the internet, uploading and downloading files, protecting personal information, and avoiding behaviours that could encourage hostile online interaction. Relatively lower scores were observed for identifying spam, viruses, or malware; using applications to detect and remove malicious software; consent-related practices when tagging others or sharing images; and digitally sharing Indonesian cultural arts. The findings indicate a pattern of stronger self-reported basic technical ability than specialised cybersecurity and selected consent-related practices. Employers and local agencies may therefore consider piloting and evaluating targeted training in phishing and malware recognition, account and device protection, abuse-reporting procedures, information verification, and consent-based online communication. Because the study used a self-selected online sample and self-reported measures, the results describe the participating respondents and should not be generalised to all female workers in Semarang.