1. The Grey Digital Divide and Citizenship Anne Morris

2. Structure  What is citizenship?  Internet usage  Current use of Internet by older people  The ageing society  Barriers of access to Internet  How can we improve digital literacy?  Conclusion

3. Citizenship  refers to “the equal membership of a national societal community, where those individual citizens are theoretically guaranteed equal rights of speech, association, etc., and equal rights of political participation”. Bagguley (………)Bagguley  Objective dimension: specific rights and obligations  Subjective dimension: a sense of loyalty and belonging to a community (community participation)

4. E-government  Huge and growing  UK has approx 9 million pages in.gov.uk domain  Number of users of web pages growing exponentially

5. Users of e.direct.gov.uk Data obtained from http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/e- government/resources/webstats.asp

6. Source: Oxford Institute Research Surveys 2003/2005 Internet Use by Life Stage, 2003-2005

7. 50% Age Concern 50% Own survey 26% Age Concern 28% Own survey 8% Age Concern 10% Own survey

8. UK age distribution, 1955-2055 Source: Government Actuary's Department (GAD), 2003 principal projections and Office for National Statistics (ONS)

9. Age composition of the older population, UK Source: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=1263

10. Aged over 100 in the UK Figure 3: Projected number of people aged 100 and over, 2005-2050, UK Source: GAD, 2003 principal projections and Office for National Statistics

11. Survey work  Lots of surveys  Own work: In-depth interviews of 120 computer users and non-users with people aged 55+ in Derbyshire. Also interviewed IT Trainers.  Age Concern, IMC, Selwyn et al, Fox, Coyne and Nielsen, Milward, Mates, Cody et al, Goodman et al ………………

12. Current use of Internet by older people  70-87% of Internet users aged 55+ access from home Contacting family and friends Managing bank accounts Research holidays & flights News Family history Local information Range of activities declines with age

13. Gender differences Men  Finding information  Hobbies  Internet banking  Checking news  Online shopping Female  Email  Holidays  Online games

14. Regional differences  Higher take-up of Internet use of over 60’s in the South East  Older users in North more likely to use for hobbies (78% compared to 69% in South/Midlands)  London surfers more interested in banking than elsewhere (38% compared to 32% elsewhere)

15. Impact  Two-thirds of ICM survey thought the Internet has had a positive impact on their lives  Online shopping  Communicating with others  Increased confidence, boost self-esteem  Keeping mentally alert and “contemporary”

16. Keeping mentally alert  Learning can delay onset of age-related diseases such Alzheimer’s and dementia (Swindell, 2000, p252)  Older adults with lower educational levels more likely to end up institutionalised than those with higher educational levels (NIACE, 2002, p20  People who do crosswords and play chess are less likely to get dementia

17. Barriers of access Barriers Access to IT Cost Concerns about security & privacy Lack of IT skills & experience Feeling too old Lack of interest Disability Design of equipment Web design Fear of new technology

18. Source: Oxford Internet Institute surveys 2003/2005 Interest in the Internet by life stage (2005)

19. How can we improve digital literacy  Make the internet relevant for older users Baby Boomers BistroBaby Boomers Bistro Silver Surfers' websiteSilver Surfers' website  Improve web design  Promote benefits, citizenship activities & public services  Develop confidence and skills in using ICTs  Provide suitable training  Make special equipment easily available Accessible technology  Provide financial support Financial help Financial help

20. Age Concern digital competency framework Level 0 : Unengaged  Never used ICTs, or not in the last 3 months  Level 1 : Digital Communicators  Use ICTs to communicate in new ways  Level 2 : Digital Enquirers  Comfortable accessing interactive content, plus all activities of Digital Communicators  Level 3 : Digital Transactors  Comfortable carrying out digital transactions and contributing content, plus all activities of Digital Enquirers Source: E-Government Briefing Outlook 16 Nov 2004

21. Training older adults “Raising the PC literacy of a population provides every person with the opportunity to participate in the global economy. Britain’s leaders can address the overall competitiveness of the British economy by developing older people’s computer skills.” Intel Corporation Chairman Craig Barrett.

22. Training  Learndirect Learndirect  Local library  Local community college  Local community centre  UK Online centres UK Online centres  Age Concern

23. Conclusions  Ageing society: 50% of population over 50 by 2030  A grey digital divide is evident  Some evidence that this divide is reducing  We mustn’t be complacent to ensure active participation in society

24. “Just because people reach a certain age does not mean that they should be written off. Through our work with Britain’s seniors we know that many of them still have a huge amount to offer to society and the economy. However, we are increasingly worried that some older people will be left behind. There is no doubt that computer skills provide the key to a more enriched later life: allowing increased independence, mental stimulation, and access to information and services, not to mention potential savings of £200-£300 per year for the average internet shopper.”