Networks and Trust Digital Services: How Social Networks Shape Pensioners’ Attitudes Toward the Digital Services of the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV)

The digital transformation of welfare services challenges traditional mechanisms of trust, particularly among vulnerable populations like pensioners. This paper explores how social networks influence pensioners’ trust in the digital services provided by the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV). Previous research suggests that trust is shaped not only by personal characteristics but also through networks and participation in voluntary associations. In a rapidly digitalizing welfare environment, social networks may serve as key mediators for navigating new technologies, shaping trust or distrust in digital services. Pensioners, often less familiar with digital tools, rely on these networks to form attitudes toward digital platforms, using social support to mitigate distrust or alienation. Drawing on sociological research on personal networks, this study investigates how pensioners' trust in NAV’s digital platforms is shaped by their embeddedness within networks of family, friends, and voluntary associations. Through mixed methods, including surveys and participant-generated sociograms, the study explores how these networks help pensioners develop attitudes toward digital platforms and whether they create barriers or pathways to trust, especially for those unfamiliar with digital tools. By linking social network theory to the case of digital service adoption, this study contributes to broader sociological debates on trust in digital society by examining an understudied population and showing how social ties affect perceptions of digital services in public welfare. The findings offer practical recommendations for improving trust in digital services among older populations and ensure they are not left behind in the transition to digitalized welfare systems.