Social rights in relation to digitalization, mobile phone, and internet use – experiences of women in homelessness: a qualitative study

Figures & data

Table 1. Socio-demographic characteristics of the interviewed women (n = 26).

Characteristics		n (%)
Age	Mean, years
	20–30 years	2 (8)
	31–40 years	4 (15)
	41–50 years	9 (35)
	51–60 years	7 (27)
	61–70 years	3 (12)
	Missing	1 (4)
ETHOS
	Roofless^a	9 (35)
	Houseless^b	9 (35)
	Insecure^c	2 (8)
	Inadequate^d	2 (8)
	Missing	1 (4)
Providing
	Sick leave	9 (35)
	Unemployed	8 (31)
	Sickness compensation^e	4 (15)
	Income support	2 (8)
	Pension	1 (4)
	Prostitution	1 (4)
	Missing	1 (4)

Living situation according to ETHOS definition.

^aPublic space or night shelter.

^bHomeless hostel, temporary accommodation, transitional supported accommodation, women’s shelter accommodation, temporary accommodation/reception centres, supported accommodation for formerly homeless persons.

^cTemporarily with family/friends; and.

^dNon-conventional building, temporary structure.

^eCompensation Swedish citizens can receive between the ages of 19 and 64 if they will never be able to work, now or in the future, due to sickness or a disability.

Table 2. Examples of raw data organized by themes.

Crucial for everyday life	Aspects of ownership	Maintaining relationships	Structural challenges	Intrapersonal challenges	Strategies to access social rights
‘ … and we hardly have any access to computer, which is necessary for living or for looking for a job’ ‘and I wouldn’t trust getting a text notification about an appointment in two weeks, because if you’ve lost your phone and then it takes two weeks before you have a new sim card and you know … ” ‘same if you have been granted sick transport, I can’t call myself because I’d either have to be in hospital, and call from there but I also have to be able to call from home if I need sick transport from there’.	‘I sleep with a knife under my head, in case someone comes and tries to steal my passport or my phone or something … Do you know how many phones I have had stolen?’ ‘… but I’ve been really careful with it, because I have half my life in my phone, so I’ve really been careful with it. Because otherwise … I mean, people lose their phones. And it’s not people from outside that steal it, it’s your own people who steal from you. It’s like … Yeah, and many times it’s like you had a relationship, it could even be your partner that steals it, steals your phone like … ’	‘a mobile phone is really important, just to communicate and feel a part of society, because you might not always be able to … I mean being out and stuff … ’ ‘- So, you keep in touch with your children through social media? -Exactly! -And you can call them too? -Yeah, and they can get in touch with me and stuff … It’s really important, I mean really important. -So, a mobile phone is important? -It’s important, It’s important. Really important I mean!’	‘yeah, to get an introduction at the shelter about how it works or if social services could arrange a course and get a project manager who shows that this is how electronic ID works’. ‘You can’t walk into a healthcare center and make an appointment; you have to call them. Yes, that’s pretty … I’m sure it’s really hard for a lot of people, I really think it is’.	‘ … because I can’t after my stroke, I like reading my charts and then I have to choose a code and stuff and when I’m tired after alcohol then why do they send me stuff? Why can’t they just send the lab results or something? I don’t have a computer at home, and I don’t have a mobile phone that can do stuff like that and because of that it becomes very difficult’. ‘I’m petrified of phones sometimes. But then I’ve had to make a call sometime and I’ve thought, what was I scared about? But it doesn’t help. It’s the same the next time’	‘the City Mission has a reception where you can log in. I usually have my own [phone] so that … but otherwise you can go there’ ‘Sometimes when I’m in the street I ask someone for help. It’s not easy. Sometimes I go to a hotel reception and ask for help to make a call’. ‘I’s been a bit of a problem, but now a friend gave me a computer, and we’ll get wi-fi access to, he’s going to pay for that too’.

Figure 1. Thematic map over Conditions and circumstances of having a mobile phone.

Figure 2. Thematic map over Structural and intrapersonal challenges affecting social rights.

Table 3. Themes and sub-themes of the results.

Themes	Conditions and circumstances of having a mobile phone	Structural and intrapersonal challenges affecting social rights
Sub-themes	Crucial for everyday life Aspects of ownership Maintaining relationships	Structural challenges Intrapersonal challenges Strategies to access social rights

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author [AK]. The data are not publicly available due to restrictions, e.g. their containing information that could compromise the privacy of research participants.