Home Open Access News Technology The technological skills of the global elderly population

The technological skills of the global elderly population

October 22, 2018

The technological skills that elderly people possess are ranged — they have smartphones, know how to Skype and have their own Facebook profiles. But, does it depend on what country you live in as to whether the older locals have a grip on the latest technology?

Internet users

The internet is a tool that a large proportion of us use daily, sometimes using it without even realising. You probably use it to read the latest news, check the weather forecast or use it hourly at work. But, is the older generation as reliant on the World Wide Web?

The UK proves to be a heavy user of internet of all ages, with research showing 41% of adults aged 75 and over recently using the internet. This illustrates a 20% increase since 2011, showing how widespread the internet has become over the past seven years.

So what do the figures look like for the US? Well, figures show that 64% of over 65s were internet users in 2016. There was also a 46.4% growth reported in US internet users over the age of 55 from 2014 to 2017, with around half of American seniors say that they now have high-speed internet at home. This is a 4% increase on 2013.

However, not everyone has jumped on the internet bandwagon yet – only 44% of those aged 80 and upwards said that they used the internet and just 28% said that they had a home broadband service.

The stats from across Europe reveal more trends – in Germany only 29.6% of mobile internet users were aged 50 and above as of January 2017 and in France, 48% of people aged over 70 were internet users in 2016. Compare this to the 100% of internet users who were aged 12-17 and it’s clear to see the generation gap when it comes to getting online. In Belgium, 35% of the population that were aged between 65 and 74 admitted that they had never used the internet at all.

How do the trends look in a country with an ageing population like Canada, where there are now more over 65s than under 14s. In 2019, experts forecast that 53.4% of over 65s will be internet users. And, in the technological hub of Japan, 44.3% of over 80s who accessed the internet said that they did so at least once a day, along with 48% of those aged 70-79.

Internet accessibility

The internet is rarely ever out of reach because of the widespread use of smartphones and tablets. Many of us have these tiny touchscreen devices at hand which can answer to our queries, connect us with friends and provide us with useful information at the tap of our fingers. Has the older generation realised the potential of these devices?

Many people over the age of 55 use smartphones in the UK, with 45% having used a smartphone in 2016. This seems like quite a significant figure, however, when you compare it to the fact that 97% of under 25s used a smartphone, it’s clear to see how age affects behaviour.

Some stats in the US reveal 32% of those over 65 and 20% of those over 80 said that they owned a tablet computer and 19% said that they owned an e-reader.

Elderly people seeking help when they first get a new device is important, should they need it. Around three-quarters of Americans over 65 said that the statement, ‘When I get a new electronic device, I usually need someone else to set it up or show me how to use it,’ describes them very, or somewhat well. Also, only 26% of older internet users said that they felt very confident.

The general consensus is that older people don’t understand recent technological advancements and aren’t willing to learn how to use them, but findings have proven otherwise. In fact, 58% of adults aged 65 and over said that technology has had a mostly positive impact on society. Of course, it can depend on annual income and disposable income as to whether an elderly person owns a smart device — 81% of older Americans who earned over $75,000 said that they owned a smartphone while only 27% of those who earned less than $30,000 owned one.

Technology for payments

Much of the younger generation has welcomed technological advancements to help them with banking and quick payments in restaurants and stores. With one simple tap of the debit card, something can be paid for instantaneously.

In the UK, over 65s are beginning to welcome the new system, making up 20% of all contactless users, Barclaycard announced. More people are jumping on board too, 55% of over 65s have used the tap to pay service, up 3% from 2016. Saga supported this research too, saying that one in five over 50s use their contactless cards up to three times per week.

Being in the know

Through the use of social media, the internet has become a mandatory platform or the younger generation to stay connected. Through Twitter and Facebook, people can read instantaneous news from their local area and worldwide. And, with downloadable apps, smartphone users can receive notifications of the latest headlines. Is the older generation accessing news in the same way?

21% of UK over 55s said that they get their daily news updates from social networks, usually browsing on the work commute or in breaks. This could mean logging onto Facebook to see what the latest status’ are or checking what’s trending on Twitter. In the US, this number rose to 26% with 70% of older Facebook users saying that they log in to the site daily. In fact, there has been a reported change in the demographics of Facebook users — with the number of 12-17-year-olds who use the site declining by 9.9% in 2017.

Further afield, the stats show for some good reading in Europe. In Germany, only 9% of those over 50 said that they get their daily news from social networks and 34% said that they get their daily news from the internet. In France and Italy, 13% of the mature generation stated that they went to social media sites for their news.

25% of over 50s in Canada head to social networking sites to find out the latest news headlines, which is relatively high compared to other parts of the world.

In conclusion, we can see that technological trends of the mature generation differs from country-to-country. Eventually, it’s likely that the majority of the older population will understand the benefits of technology and come to accept it as a way of life. In the meantime, younger people should be educating their elders on how to use the devices and how it could enhance their daily activities. This article was brought together with Acorn Stairlifts, retailers of curved stairlifts.

Sources

https://www.statista.com/statistics/266587/percentage-of-internet-users-by-age-groups-in-the-us/

http://www.pewglobal.org/2018/01/11/detailed-tables-global-media-habits/

https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/itandinternetindustry/bulletins/internetusers/2017

https://www.statista.com/statistics/425292/mobile-internet-usage-by-age-germany/

https://www.statista.com/statistics/410850/france-internet-usage-penetration-by-age/

https://www.statista.com/statistics/568707/share-of-the-population-that-never-used-the-internet-in-belgium-by-age/

https://www.statista.com/statistics/373955/canada-online-penetration-age/

https://www.statista.com/statistics/732535/united-kingdom-smartphone-users-by-age/

https://www.recode.net/2018/2/12/16998750/facebooks-teen-users-decline-instagram-snap-emarketer

https://isl.co/2017/02/2017-facebook-demographic-report-adults-on-the-rise-the-teen-question/

https://www.visa.co.uk/newsroom/the-contactless-revolution-ten-years-on-two-thirds-of-brits-now-tap-to-pay-2130476