Study Highlights Voluntary Disengagement From Technology In Later Life

Differences successful really often older group usage nan net is little driven by a person's property and much by cognitive expertise and socioeconomic factors specified arsenic acquisition and employment status, a caller study reveals.

Led by computing academics astatine Lancaster University successful collaboration pinch researchers from University College London, nan study examined really often adults aged 50 and complete usage nan internet, and why immoderate usage it little than others.

The study's authors examined nationally typical information from nan English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), which includes responses from much than 6,000 people, to besides observe really aging itself plays a portion successful really often group entree nan online world.

Their study reveals that astir older group successful England are utilizing nan net a lot. ELSA information shows that much than 90 % of group aged complete 50 are regular (daily aliases monthly) net users and net usage is higher than commonly assumed.

Although net usage is high, nan study shows an age-related 'digital divide' among older group and their usage of net still persists, pinch net usage dropping pinch age. The information shows that 97.7 % of group aged 50-64-years-old are regularly digitally active; 91.1 % among those aged 65-79-years-old, and 65.7 % of those aged 80 and older.

When looking for reasons to explicate really property affects net usage nan researchers looked astatine a scope of factors including sex, marital status, mobility and beingness impairments, semipermanent wellness conditions, wealth, education, employment position and cognitive ability.

They recovered that education, employment position and cognitive expertise look to play a cardinal domiciled successful really often older group usage nan net crossed property groups.

Other demographic and societal factors arsenic good arsenic wellness and mobility issues are related to net use, but do not look to relationship for age-related declines successful net use.

Our study empirically refutes nan communal presumption that functional diminution is nan superior logic for older adults not utilizing technology. We find that cognitive ability, employment position and acquisition are much influential factors."

Bran Knowles, Professor, School of Computing and Communications, Lancaster University

These factors are reflected successful older adults citing deficiency of skills arsenic a cardinal logic for not utilizing nan net more, successful opposition pinch deficiency of net entree which was seldom cited. This uncovering points to nan value of 'life-long' skills training much than proviso of entree to thief span nan age-based integer divide.

The study besides finds, however, that erstwhile older group were asked why they did not usage nan net more, nan astir communal logic fixed wide was that group did not spot immoderate logic to usage nan net much than they were already.

The researchers opportunity their findings show a request for a greater chat astir nan age-based integer divide, that location is simply a request to supply support for those who consciousness they do not person nan skills to usage nan internet, but besides that location is simply a request to admit older people's agency successful deciding erstwhile they want to disengage from technologies successful later life.

"Older group usage nan net a batch crossed each property cohorts and are mostly contented pinch really often they log on, providing akin reasons for not utilizing nan net arsenic nan remainder of nan population," said Professor Knowles.

"The information could beryllium showing america that there's a inclination toward voluntary disengagement from exertion successful later life - possibly a reprioritisation successful really to walk one's time," she added.

"Given that nan immense mostly of older group are reasonably regular users, and not utilizing nan net much is for astir a matter of prime alternatively than owed to different barriers, should we really beryllium talking astir nan age-based integer disagreement simply successful position of exclusion, aliases should we besides beryllium talking astir really ageing good whitethorn impact disengaging from nan net and doing different things?"

Researchers besides telephone for exertion designers and work providers to deliberation of caller ways to support older people's prime to usage nan net less.

Professor Knowles said: "It is important to supply assistance to individuals facing barriers to utilizing nan net and wanting to usage it more, but this doesn't look to beryllium nan lawsuit for nan immense mostly of older adults. Our findings bespeak that, for nan astir part, non-use is an look of individual penchant successful older property successful which lawsuit designers should research really exertion creation tin support this choice."
Professor Andrew Steptoe of University College London's Department of Behavioural Science and Health and head of nan ELSA said: "It is encouraging that net usage is becoming much communal moreover among group successful their 80s and 90s.

This is progressively important arsenic authorities and section services, entree to wellness attraction move online, while galore equipment and services are cheaper connected nan internet."

The study, which was conducted arsenic portion of nan DigiAge task funded by UKRI's Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), is outlined successful nan insubstantial 'Cohort Differences successful Internet Use Amongst Older Adults'.
These caller findings are published this week (April 15) astatine nan CHI convention connected Human Factors successful Computing Systems, successful Barcelona.