König Ronny, Seifert Alexander
Department of Sociology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Institute for Integration and Participation, School of Social Work, University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Northwestern Switzerland, Olten, Switzerland.
Front Sociol. 2023 Oct 26;8:1268613. doi: 10.3389/fsoc.2023.1268613. eCollection 2023.
This study examines the digital divide among older adults in Switzerland within the rapidly evolving digital environment. It investigates changes in internet usage among this population, focusing on the proportion of users, frequency, and the intensity of their internet usage during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Drawing on Swiss data from the Survey of Health, Aging, and Retirement (SHARE), conducted in 2021, the study analyzes a sample of 1,205 older adults.
The findings indicate a growing proportion of internet users over time. It also highlights that gender differences persist but are decreasing. Notably, around 9% of individuals in this study had never used the internet, while recent users exhibited high activity levels, spending an average of approximately two and a half hours online daily. The study identified age, education, employment, living arrangements, and attitudes toward technology as influential factors shaping internet usage among older adults. Importantly, the COVID-19 pandemic did not have a significant impact on internet adoption among this demographic.
These findings shed light on the complex dynamics that shape internet usage among older adults and underscore the need to promote digital inclusion and engagement within this population.
本研究考察了在快速发展的数字环境中瑞士老年人之间的数字鸿沟。它调查了这一人群互联网使用情况的变化，重点关注在新冠疫情期间用户的比例、使用频率以及使用强度。
该研究利用2021年进行的瑞士健康、老龄化与退休调查（SHARE）的数据，分析了1205名老年人的样本。
研究结果表明，随着时间的推移，互联网用户比例不断增加。研究还强调，性别差异仍然存在，但正在缩小。值得注意的是，本研究中约9%的人从未使用过互联网，而近期用户的活跃度较高，平均每天上网约两个半小时。该研究确定年龄、教育程度、就业情况、生活安排以及对技术的态度是影响老年人互联网使用的因素。重要的是，新冠疫情对这一人群的互联网采纳情况没有显著影响。
这些发现揭示了影响老年人互联网使用的复杂动态，并强调了促进这一人群数字包容和参与的必要性。
