Digital Competencies and Party Members’ Adaptation to Online Participation

Democracy in the digital age is the result of a complex interplay between the diffusion of technology, societal conditions, and political actors, such as political parties. Research on digital divides focusses on inequalities in societies highlighting implications of growing divides for democracies (Schradie, 2018; Schlozman, 2010). Today, internet use is virtually universal among German citizens younger than 50 years (Beisch & Koch, 2023). Yet, despite the pervasive digitalisation of everyday life, gaps persist in citizens’ digital competencies, confidence, and acceptance of digital tools (Initiative D21 e.V., 2024). This second-level digital divide poses particular challenges for political parties: On the one hand, adapting organisational structures and participatory practices to digital expectations may be crucial for party sustainability in an increasingly digitalised society (Berg et al., 2020, p. 85). On the other hand, parties are especially affected by digital inequalities due to their ageing membership (Niedermayer, 2025). Against this background, this paper examines how party members adapted to the rapid and enforced digitalisation of intra-party participation during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. Drawing on van Dijk’s (2020) model of digital access, the analysis focuses on digital competencies as a key explanatory factor for both behavioural adaptation and longer-term support for organisational digitalisation within political parties. Given that party members are generally highly motivated to engage politically and typically possess material access to digital technologies, the study concentrates on competencies rather than material access barriers. Empirically, the paper draws on a four-wave panel survey of party members in Germany conducted during the pandemic in 2020 and 2021. Previous research shows that many party members withdrew from party activities during this period, primarily justifying their disengagement with changing notions of party membership rather than with difficulties using digital tools (Ziegler et al., 2025). However, little is known about how digital competencies shape perceptions of online participation within parties. The panel design allows for a unique longitudinal perspective on individual adaptation processes under conditions of severe disruption to established participatory routines. Within a comparatively short period, digital communication and participation tools moved from being optional complements to becoming central infrastructures of member participation. As a result, both the potentials and limitations of digital participation became highly visible to party members. This paper contributes to the broader literature of digital divides literature by examining how individual-level digital competencies shape both the adaptation to and acceptance of digital participation tools within political organisations.