• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, February 21, 2018

Dentsu Aegis Network is out with its Digital Society Index 2018, which ranks countries in terms of how well they are building a digital economy that works for everybody in their societies. 

Topping this year’s ranking (overall) is the UK, followed by (in order) the U.S. China, Germany and France.  

The index is based on a global survey of 20,000 people, as well as secondary research, according to the agency. It is designed to assess performance across three attributes: dynamism, inclusion and trust. 

The U.S. tops the dynamism portion of the index, followed by the UK, Germany, France and Australia. 

The U.S. falls out of the top five to the sixth rank in the trust index. That’s probably not a big surprise, given the widely reported concerns about the impact of digital technology on jobs, as well as the use of personal data and cybersecurity issues (i.e., Equifax).  

Russia did not fare so well -- it was ranked near the bottom in most of the index segments. 

The report notes that only one-third of U.S. consumers trust businesses to protect their privacy, citing an earlier Dentsu Aegis survey on attitudes about sharing personal data. That number has got to be lower post-Equifax. 

The inclusion ranking is topped by the UK, followed by China, the U.S. and tied for fourth, France and Australia. 

The report this year includes a new digital engagement score designed to measure sentiment around the ability of digital economies to create jobs, solve societal problems and generally be more positive than negative.

This year’s overall digital engagement score was a pretty chilly 45 (out of 100), an indication that for now, people generally aren’t that optimistic such outcomes will be achieved. 

The report identifies three broad action areas, including enhancing digital skills and education, transforming the workplace to harness digital talent and increasing the transparency of personal data use. And as Adland knows well, it’s easier said than done to make progress on those fronts.

That said, all are critical areas to shore up. 

Brands, the report concludes, should build trust through greater openness and “use data to drive relevance and the positive emotional impact of content, products and services.” Most brands probably already know that, but the recommendation bears repeating, I guess. 

Brands also need to be clear about how they contribute to society. I think they’ve heard that message before as well.

Still, it’s an interesting read and more on the report can be found here.