The estimated reading time for this post is 4 minutes
You may have heard of IQ (intelligence quotient) and perhaps EQ (emotional quotient), but did you know you have a DQ as well? No, not Dairy Queen, but your Digital Quotient.
Your DQ is a measure of your confidence and knowledge about technology. That’s right, you can take a quick quiz to find out how much you know about tech and how sure you are about that knowledge.
Ofcom Study of Digital Quotient
A recent study by UK regulator Ofcom tested the tech knowledge and confidence of adults and children to determine how knowledgeable they were about tech and how much they enjoyed learning about new tech. The study questioned people in the UK, 2000 adults and 800 children, about their knowledge and comfort levels with tech to measure their DQ.
Gauging the average UK adult’s DQ at 100, the study found that:
- the most tech-savvy age group was 14-15 year olds, with an average DQ of 113
- but 16-19 year olds were close behind at 112.
The study found that young children do know quite a bit of tech:
- 6-7 year olds scored an average DQ of 98
- while people ages 45-49 scored an average DQ of 96.
Taking the Quiz
Want to test your knowledge of tech and find out your DQ? Take a 3-minute quiz that’s a sample of the questions asked in the Ofcom study. Click on the link below and scroll down to the orange link on the page to take the quiz:
The quiz is free and anonymous, no need to register to take it and no one has to know your score but you. Unless you want to share it, of course!
After you’ve completed your quiz you’ll see a results page showing your DQ score and a graph of how you compare to others in general and in your age group.
My DQ score was 134, not perfect, but above average (phew!).
You can share your results with others on social media. The results page has links to share your score on:
- Google Plus
Sharing is optional, you can decide whether you want to brag or cop to your score. If you’d rather keep your DQ score to yourself, no worries. Your secret will be safe.
Other Ofcom Study Findings
Age Gap
The study showed a gap in tech knowledge that mirrors the generation gap, with older adults less familiar with cutting-edge technology than children:
- 75% of children studied said that they would not know what to do without technology, while only 54% of adults felt that way.
- 16% of children studied said that new technology confused them, compared to 32% of adults.
- > 60% of people aged 55 and over have a below-average DQ score.
Clearly the adults studied were not Wonder of Tech readers!
Younger people were more likely to use the Internet than older adults:
- 98% of 16-24 year olds reporting using the Internet while only 30% of those over 75 reported doing so.
- 86% of 16-24 year olds use their smartphones to go online but only 9% of those over 65 access the Internet from their phones.
Increased Use of Tech
The study also showed that use of tech is growing:
- 44% of UK households own tablets, as opposed to 24% last year.
- 61% of adults own smartphones, up from 51% last year.
The use of laptops has become more common than desktop computers:
- 63% of UK households own laptops while only 35% own desktops
- 9% fewer households own desktops now than in 2012.
Changes in Use of Devices
As tech is changing so are our habits in using tech. The use of smartphones and ereaders has increased dramatically since 2009 but the use of DVD players, gaming consoles and DVD players has decreased.
We’re all multi-tasking more with 99% of adults reporting using more than one media device at a time. The average amount of time spent multi-tasking using tech is now 2 hours and 3 minutes per day on average in the UK.
Full Report
The full report is available online for free, if you want to read the results of the study in its entirety: Ofcom 2014 Communications Report. Many more fascinating facts are contained in the report that give us a glimpse into how tech is changing and what to expect in the future.
Conclusion
Want to raise your DQ score and stay ahead of kindergarteners? Keep reading The Wonder of Tech! (No guarantee that you’ll stay ahead of first graders though.)
Subscribe today! It’s free and will help you raise your DQ:
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Your Thoughts
Did you take the Ofcom Quiz? Are you brave enough to reveal your DQ score? Were you surprised by any of the findings in the Ofcom report? Do you think the results of the study would be drastically different for your country (if you’re not in the UK)? Would you have quit reading The Wonder of Tech if my DQ score had been low? Let us know in the Comments section below!
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*Kindergartener picture courtesy of Mats Eriksson (edited)
First of all, that picture is priceless! No doubt taken by a savvy 1st grader. 🙂
Ever since the Betamax days (probably before) we’ve been desperately handing remotes and electronics over to youngsters in hopes of getting the dang things to work! And the kids are so darn cute as they rapidly do it for us. I wish I could take a picture of them as they figure it out, but I would have to hand over the camera so they could snap the photo properly. I guess that’s how/why selfies came to be!
Hi Cho Cho, Yes, we need to watch out for those kindergarteners! This one looks like she’s spying on us. Hmmm…
So often we ask kids to help us out with tech and they do it quickly and with pride. But what lessons are we really teaching them?
Good point about the selfies. Probably started with a plot from a Kindergartener!
Hi Carolyn,
Another great post. I find the questions in this survey (yes, I took it :-)) rather biased toward (presumably intended) findings. Kids will always be more prone to say “I got this” than adults. There’s also that eyesight thing with smartphones as you get older ;-). I’ll readily admit I tend to “embrace” technology with less zeal than you do, but the survey seems to probe attitude more than aptitude. I suppose I scored about average for my age group, but didn’t feel this was a true tell on my knowledge (given the 50% or so “feel” questions). Fun post, though, for sure! Thanks for sharing.
Hi Nanette, Yes, the quiz is fun but I agree with you, the questions were more about feelings of comfort rather than a true assessment of your tech knowledge. It would be interesting to take a quiz that truly measured your knowledge of current tech, but it would be outdated in a week!
Thanks for your kind words. I’m glad you enjoyed the quiz and the article, Nanette!
Hi Carolyn,
I took the DQ test and fortunately above average is what i scored(121). Seriously?? I just scored this much. Sad. But yes I am not shocked about the kids have more DQ level then the old age people.
The reason may be many but according to me its just the generation which let them discover and use the technology well. They are smarter and good learners as well. My Facebook account was made when I joined my graduation. But now tinny tulips also have their Facebook account and they know much better then me. From starting they are aware of tech gadgets that’s why they are smarter. They want to tell everyone that they know better about anything. This may be treated as a competition in itself among the same age groups.
And the elder ones are not much fascinated because they never tried such things and now it may be possible that they were too busy in attending the business calls and make living rather than new technological advancements.
Cool quiz! Got 129 points – above average! But I really love tech and wok in this industry. It’s cool if teens know and use all this even without connecting their future to the IT (but I think soon enough all industries will rely strongly on IT)
You go, girl! That’s great you scored so high.
You’re right, we certainly should encourage tech knowledge in children. The future is tech and the more comfortable they are with tech the better they’ll be able to function in the world of the future.
Thanks for sharing your comment and your DQ with us, Victoria! :-bd
Hi Carolyn,
Amazing idea,
It is kind of fun to take such kind of quiz where you can know how digitally aware are you.
But m really surprised by the results because i always taught that age group of 20-30 might be the most tech savvy.
Anyways very innovative post.
Woot! Got 114. But that’s probably because I have a teenager and tween in the house so I need to keep on top of things.
Hi Carolyn,
I haven’t taken the quiz, I’m short on time at the moment but might come back. I probably already know how poorly I’ll score but it might be just fun to do anyway.
I’m not surprised that the kids have us beat. My goodness, they grew up with this stuff so of course they are much smarter than us. I’m surprised your score wasn’t higher though. You are one tech queen my dear.
Thanks for sharing this and thanks also for your email. That is NOT my comment and I always address you by your name, never dear. Oh and I always capitalize the I and as you guess, I don’t talk like that either. That really makes me mad too that someone would impersonate me like that. Why would they even bother? They didn’t leave a link.
Have a fabulous weekend now. I know you all will.
~Adrienne
Hi Adrienne,
Yes, children today see tech as part of their world, without question. We adults have to change and adapt our world to incorporate tech into our daily lives.
I lost points in the quiz because I’ve never used Google Glass. But I got points for wearing a Pebble watch!
I was nearly certain that wasn’t your comment on the other post, Adrienne, but I wanted you to see the comment so I approved it and alerted you to it. The commenter did leave a link, though I stripped it out before I approved the comment. I didn’t see where the link went, though the commenter did use your email address. The last thing I did before I lost Internet on my trip was delete the comment after I read your comment above.
Unfortunately spammers are getting bolder with their commenting methods!
Hi Carol, That was fun. I was 123 probably because I don’t use Google glass and I don’t download TV shows – I rarely watch TV period. I don’t always buy the latest gadget either, I sometimes wait for a better price but I do research before purchasing. I can’t imagine living without many of the gadgets we know use daily. Thanks for sharing the fun post and quiz with us.
Hi Lisa, Yes, I haven’t ever even seen Google Glass in person nor tried it myself so I lost points on that question. I thought the quiz was fun and interesting too, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
That’s great you don’t always buy the latest gadget. Often we do better if we stick to what we already have, if that still works for us. Otherwise, we’re always chasing tech!
You’re right, the gadgets that seemed new and strange to us not so long ago can quickly become essential tools in our daily lives!