AARL

Computer and internet use among a group of sydney seniors: a pilot study

Dale Gietzelt

Abstract

Despite popular conceptions of older peoples technophobia, statistics show them to be one of the fastest-growing sectors of the Australian population to take up the Internet. Most Australian research on older peoples use of computers and the Internet has focused on the barriers to their embracing technology, and ways to overcome obstacles. This paper reports on a pilot study, which instead centred on the motivations of older people who have adopted computers and the Internet, and reveals their trepidation but also their thirst for social interaction, their quest for pertinent information and their desire to keep up with the times.

Data published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics indicate that people over the age of 55 are embracing computer technology and the Internet at a far greater pace than the Australian adult population in general (a 129% increase in the year ending November 1999, compared to 42% for the Australian adult population).1 This may run counter to popular perceptions of new technology and older adults, who are often labelled technophobes. Scott argues that older people are not so much reluctant consumers of new technology as uninformed consumers.2 They are often unaware of what information and services are available and how to access them. Indeed, research undertaken through Flinders University in 1993 of the quality of life of people over 65 years revealed both the desire and ability to learn about information technology, but also a feeling of being at a disadvantage.3 This perceived disadvantage can have a basis in fact: many older people are of lower income, geographically and socially isolated, immobile, disabled, suffer from dementia, or are illiterate. Indeed, chronological age is often less significant to technology use than the presence or lack of technological skills, or disability, infirmity and dependency , regardless of age.4

Much of the Australian research on older people and technology has focused on the barriers to their embracing computers and the Internet, and the ways to overcome such obstacles. Williamson et al,5 for example, in their study of 120 older (50+ years of age) public library users in Victoria, discussed the physical barriers , such as disabilities affecting arms or fingers , that interfered with some respondents use of computers. The study also brought to light difficulties this group of older people had with computer/Internet functions like using the mouse for pointing, clicking and scrolling; small font size on the screen; screen colours (such as the grey on grey of the buttons); and the inconsistency in terminology between search engines (such as find, search and submit for searching). Thirty percent of participants had problems reading the screen, a situation not helped by bifocal glasses.6 Frustration at time delays endured while trying to retrieve information from the Internet and the lack of on-screen guidelines was experienced by their respondents. Another Victorian study identified both cost and the fear of something that was seen as complicated and difficult to master as barriers to computer use.7 However, Irizarry and Downing reported reasonably positive attitudes towards technology and the role it can play in older peoples lives, in their South Australian study.8

In the American literature, psychological barriers, the stereotype of technophobia , have been put forward as disincentives for older people to learn about computers9 and the inculcation of negative perceptions of old age among older people themselves, also confirmed by Australian research.10 Lack of awareness, trepidation and physical disability also contribute to hindering the adoption of this technology in the US and elsewhere.11

To add to this perceived trepidation, older people have not been as exposed as their younger counterparts to computers in the workplace. This, combined with the fact that they may have limited income for equipment and classes, and limited opportunities to learn, all function to make the technology gap wider. Moreover, often classes are geared towards younger learners so that pace, intensity and level of assumed knowledge may place older people at a further disadvantage. Williamson et al. suggest that encouragement and opportunity may be the missing ingredients in changing older peoples attitudes towards computers.12 Irizarry and Downing too suggest that lack of opportunity rather than lack of desire, interest or motivation, is what separates many older people from the benefits of computer technology, and go on to promote its introduction in a supportive environment to this sector of the population.13 While older people are slower than other groups to accept computer-based sources of information for everyday life14 , research has shown that they do not readily seek information from formal sources but rely mainly on informal sources and established contacts15 , they can be very positive about computers once they are offered hands-on experience.16

However, the reality of living in the Information Age is that most people in future are going to need some level of IT literacy.17 Without a handle on using and being to some extent familiar with computers, older people cannot access the Internet and the vast stores of information stored in it. The first stage in any examination of older peoples use of the Internet as an information warehouse must be their utilisation of computers. As was mentioned above, research on utilisation or non-utilisation of computer technology and the Internet has been undertaken in Victoria and South Australia but, to the authors knowledge, none has been conducted specifically in New South Wales. Further, the Australian studies appear to centre on barriers to the full utilisation of computer technology. That is, they examine predominantly why older people are not taking up computers and the Internet, rather than why they are. This paper reports the results of a small pilot study undertaken within one local government area (LGA) of Sydney, which focused on questions of what motivates older people to take up using computers and the Internet, and what they are getting from such activities.

Methodology

Questionnaire Design

The questionnaire was generated from an examination of the relevant literature. There were three sections. The first asked for information concerning computer use and self-perceptions of skill level. The second delved into Internet use, and was not completed by all participants. The third section asked for demographic data. Questions were both closed and open-ended, allowing for analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data.

Sample

The sample was a convenience sample. The inclusion criteria were: living in that LGA, using a computer and, if applicable, the Internet, and being 55 years or older. That particular LGA was chosen for reasons of convenience, as the author was aware of Internet classes being held for older people at the central public library there, as well as the establishment of a computer club for older adults within the LGA boundaries. At the time of the last census (1996), the LGA comprised predominantly Australian-born residents (80%), with 9% having non-English-speaking backgrounds. Some 20% of residents were aged 55 years and over. Median weekly household income was A$700-$999.18

Sample Selection

The researcher approached the central public library of that particular LGA in Sydney, where Internet courses for older people were run. A minimum age of 55 for involvement in the research was decided upon since that was the entry age for older people to participate in these classes. The library wrote to all 48 of the older people in their records, explaining about the pilot study and asking them to telephone the researcher if they were interested in taking part in the research. When those interested telephoned the researcher, a non-identifying questionnaire was mailed out to them with a stamped, return-addressed envelope.

A computer club for older people had been established at a nearby workers clu b, and the secretary of this club was approached in an attempt to recruit more participants into the sample. The researcher delivered a bundle of questionnaires, again with stamped, return-addressed envelopes, in time for the clubs monthly meeting and the secretary distributed the questionnaires to willing participants in the club.

The final group was recruited through the snowball technique, whereby friends and friends of friends of the researchers parents, who live in the area, were asked to participate. A questionnaire and reply envelope were sent out to each.

Data Analysis

Data were analysed using the Statistical Program for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software. Frequencies and cross-tabulations were performed.

Results

A total of 37 questionnaires were returned. Of these, two arrived after analysis on SPSS had occurred and were therefore deemed too late, and two did not fulfil the criterion of being able to use a computer. This section then reports on the analysis of the 33 valid questionnaires, with 11 (33%) being recruited from the local library course, 15 (46%) from the computer club and 7 (21%) through word-of-mouth (snowballing).

Demographics

The sample consisted of 13 females (39%) and 20 males (61%), all between the ages of 55 and 79. The majority (23 or 70% of the sample) were between the ages of 70 and 79, while 9 (27%) were in their sixties and only 1 person (3%) in his fifties. All spoke English at home; 27 (82%) were born in Australia, 2 people (6%) in Europe (outside UK/Ireland) and 1 person (3%) were born in UK/Ireland, US/Canada, Asia and Africa respectively. Educationally, almost half of the respondents (45%) had not completed high school nor had any further formal education, and just under one in six (15%) had completed university. Some 30% were currently employed, 70% of these using a computer in their work and 60% engaging in unpaid (or voluntary) labour (such as working in nursing homes).

Hobbies were, as may be expected, very varied, with over 41 different activities nominated and 3.4 being the mean number of hobbies specified. They included intellectual pursuits (42% of respondents), watching and/or participating in physical activities (39%), handicrafts (39%), artistic/cultural pursuits (33%), travelling (27%), community-focused activities (27%), games (15%) and computing (9%).

Use of Computers

Twenty-nine respondents (88%) had a computer at home, though it was not always their own. Over 90% accessed that home computer, 13% used those in their local library, 6% in the computer club or at their voluntary work, and 3% at work or at a college or university. Over a quarter (28%) had owned a computer for more than five years, and almost half (48%) had begun to seriously use it immediately. The reasons for taking up computing can be seen in Figure 1, and feature hand-me-up gifts from family members as the most-cited reason for getting a computer in the first place (19%).

Just over 60% (20 people) had had no prior experience in computers when they acquired their own. For those four (12%) who did not own a computer, two thought they were too expensive, one wanted to be better at using them before purchasing one, and the one could not get his spouse to agree (through lack of interest on the latters part).

Self-perceived skill in the use of the various programs utilised by respondents shows that over half of those who responded to this question identified themselves as confident (or at the intermediate level). Almost 7% perceived themselves as experts, and just under 35% identified as beginners. A question on self-perceptions of confidence level revealed that 9% felt very confident, 33% quite confident and 58% felt they needed more practice. Importantly, no respondents reported feeling uncomfortable with computers.

Just over one third initially learned to use a computer through informal mechanisms, one quarter was trained at work while two in five undertook formal courses. Any subsequent training took place in community courses (32%), with a family member (28%), courses at the local library (24%) or computer club (24%), courses at college (16%) and/or at work (8%). When there was an instructor, s/he was mostly in the 25-45 year age grouping (54%); 39% of respondents instructors were aged 45-65, and 7% were over 65. The age of the instructor was overwhelmingly unimportant (87%) to the respondents, while three (10%) would have preferred a younger instructor and one person (3%) an older one.

Respondents were asked about the amount of time they spent on the various activities they undertook on the computer. Most of their computer time was spent in finding information on the World Wide Web; writing letters to family/friends; sending emails; writing letters to organisations/businesses; doing graphics etc.; writing a book/memoirs; and on banking/finance matters. Other activities that occupied their time spent on computers included writing out how-to lists; for genealogical purposes; recording U3A (University of the Third Age) lecture notes; recording new recipes; recording daily expenses; maintaining an address book; checking library services; writing research papers; playing games; and drafting embroidery patterns

The sorts of issues that arose when respondents were asked what it was that most challenged them in using computers include everything (13%), learning how to access the areas required (13%), keeping up with new technology (10%), overcoming their fear (10%), remembering what to do (10%), the terminology (10%), learning to type accurately (7%), how to find things that have disappeared (7%), and coming to terms with the wide variety of uses (7%). One person talked of the challenge in finding its IQ levels. Others commented on the challenges in using computers in the following ways:

When asked what bonuses they perceived from using computers, these respondents tended to nominate issues more related to Internet usage rather than computers per se: meeting email contacts from overseas (six people or 15% of the sample) and expansion of knowledge (11%). Four (11%) could not identify any unexpected bonuses, while another four enjoyed the sense of 'fitting in' and being able to converse with other computer-owners.

Prospective doors are opening all the time both from the use of the computer, speakers at monthly meetings [at the computer club] and in talking to members of the club and others (i.e. family and friends).

Other responses included expansion of friendships; stimulation; great games; and the ability to teach or help others.

Computer malfunctions or breakdowns (28%) and the user's own shortcomings (16%) represented many of the difficulties encountered by respondents. Lack of support from help desks or instruction manuals also featured (8%). Other problems included:

A bit scary when it freezes etc. but I accept that it has a mind of its own.

Losing the cursor.

The inability of software suppliers help lines in solving problems , due either to disinterest by the operator or their inability to provide any lucid comment.

Use of the Internet

Some 73% of respondents used the Internet: 36% of these used it daily, 32% once or twice a week, 18% a few times a month, and 14% rarely. Figure 2 reveals how this group used their time on the Internet, by gender, while Figure 3 shows the same information by age group. The reasons given for not accessing the Internet were its perceived difficulty (50%), lack of sufficient time to learn (25%), the expense involved (13%) and lack of interest (13%).

Reasons for taking up the Internet are depicted in Figure 4. Amongst those who had not taken up using the Internet, 50% thought it would be too difficult, 25% had not had time to use it yet (but intended to soon), 13% thought it too expensive and another 13% had no interest whatsoever in learning to use it.

Respondents expectations from a session on the Internet encompassed specific information (38%); satisfaction (12%); information not available in print (8%); enlightenment (8%); knowledge (8%); entertainment and/or enjoyment (8%); education (4%); up-to-date financial data (4%); always something new (4%); anti-virus updates (4%); and friendship (4%).

Of the 42% who were asked how long it had taken before they could confidently surf the Net , 57% said it had taken a couple of months or less, 21% nominated several months, and another 21% over a year. As far as sending emails with confidence is concerned, of the 48% who responded positively, 69% said they took a couple of months or less, 19% took several months, and 13% took over a year.

Amongst those 21 respondents (64% of the total sample) who accessed the World Wide Web, the most frequently visited sites were seniors sites, news sites and travel sites. Other favoured sites dealt with computers, the weather, genealogy, health and finance.

For one in five respondents, finding appropriates sites was the most challenging part of accessing the Internet. For one in seven, it was setting the computer up for Internet use. Another one in seven thought it too complex, while a similar proportion had most difficulty finding the most appropriate search engines. Avoiding clutter or rubbish was also identified as challenging for these older people.

Perceived bonuses of Internet use for this group fell into three areas: access to information and therefore greater knowledge (11, or 52%); communication (6, or 29%); and the speed and ease in which both of these processes are involved (4, or 19%). Typical responses to this question of unexpected bonuses attached to Internet usage were:

The amount of information readily at hand on [a] vast range of subjects.

Marked expansion of friendships and knowledge.

The most often mentioned difficulty in using the Internet concerned unreliable Internet service providers and dropouts (28% of cases). A typical comment about problems encountered was repetitive dropouts whilst downloading from the Internet. Difficulty in accessing the required site was experienced by over 17% of respondents. Others complained of the cost involved (11%): We need a second telephone line and that costs. Other difficulties identified personal shortcomings:

Lack of confidence.

Because of eyesight problems I am experiencing great difficulty in making meaningful progress with use of the computer and accessing Internet.

Only lack of training as I learn slowly.

Only two (10%) had engaged in e-commerce. The reasons given for not engaging in e-commerce were a reluctance to provide credit card details over the Net, not yet having need to, and lack of interest.

Cross-tabulations were performed in pertinent categories, but, as the sample size was so small, the results were analytically meaningless. If the study were to be replicated and expanded, however, cross-tabulations could indeed be useful.

Discussion

Usage of computers clearly has an important role to play in usage of the Internet. This study has attempted to elucidate the various factors involved in the utilisation of computer technology by older adults, data which dovetail into existing and newly-ascertained knowledge of Australian older people's deployment of the Internet.

The group of older Australians reported here manifested an interest in technology that belies the stereotypes and ageism held by many in the community.19 Computer competence is often perceived as atypical in older individuals,20 though one study found people aged 55 and over to be more positive towards computers and have more liking for them than people aged 30 and under.21 Irizarry et al. found that 70% of the participants in their study nominated keeping up with modern technology as the principal reason for undertaking a computer course.22 The pilot study reported here found an interest by 11% of respondents in keeping up with the times, while keeping up with new technology was nominated as one of the most challenging aspects of learning to use a computer in 10% of cases. Some 52% of respondents acquired a computer initially for purposeful or activities-oriented reasons (like to keep me from stealing hubcaps when I retired), 37% for external reasons (such as being given one by a son or daughter) and 30% for affective reasons (I have an in-built desire to use computers, for instance). Their embracing of computer technology, and through it, the Internet, is the manifestation, as several studies (both Australian and American) have found, of a desire to keep an active mind and to acquire skills to accomplish everyday tasks.23

Their motivation for these attributes did not appear to be linked to their level of education. Overseas research has suggested that education level is a good predictor of computer ownership and experience.24 Higher educational attainment has also been shown to be related to higher levels of computer knowledge and computer interest, and lower levels of computer anxiety.25 That higher education predicted higher computer usage and confidence was therefore an expected outcome from the research reported here; however, the small sample size prohibited an analysis of the data in this way. What is interesting in this research, nonetheless, is the fact that nearly half of the respondents had not matriculated and only one in six had completed a university course. This stands in stark contrast to Adlers American online study where only 7% had less than a high school education, but 53% had graduated from college.26

In fact, age does not appear to be related to correct procedural performance or capacity to learn (though older adults may need longer to train) but rather to errors made and length of time working on an item.27 Put another way, age seems to affect quality of outcome and time to achieve that outcome, but not the process involved to attain the outcome. Computer training programmes for older people have generally been successful in increasing competency and confidence in using computers, as Irizarry and Downings research has demonstrated28 , though one study found that older adults liking for computers decreased significantly after exposure to a six-week word processing course.29 According to Lopatto et al, the success reported in most research on this matter shows that computer literacy, and by extension, computer anxiety, is not age-dependent.30

As far as course instructor age is concerned, the vice-president of a company that trains older adults to use computers in the US claims that mature instructors who are in the same peer group as the learners and who can allude to experiences they understand, are preferable.31 This did not appear to be the case with this small group of older users in the pilot study reported here, for whom instructor age was for the most part irrelevant. The South Australian data indicate that the desire for an instructor of the same age cohort (over 55 years) as the course participants was perceived as helpful in learning to use a computer by about one in three trainees,32 suggesting that this may not be as important to Australian older people as to their American counterparts.

According to Mackie and Wylie, user acceptance of technology is shaped by, among other things, the degree to which the features of the technology are consistent with the users needs.33 The computer, and by default, the Internet, must prove to older people its/their utility and versatility.34 The South Australian research found that older people use computers for record-keeping (48% of the sample, two years after completion of a course), letter-writing (45%) and for writing memoirs and stories (12%).35 While the proportions differ, the results reported here show similar interests. There is a substantial difference with results from US studies, however. One study has revealed that older people there use their computers for personal bookkeeping/banking (46%), personal communications (35%), business accounting/financial information (32%) and business communications (27%),36 that is, more business- and financially-oriented than the Australian data indicate.

How do older people experience the Internet as an information-seeking and communication tool? Some 24% of the group of older people described in the present study used the Internet daily compared to 40% of the general population, as at August 1999.37 A survey conducted on the Internet in early 2000 by a US site for older people found that about 70% used the Internet for more than 10 hours per week. These people mostly used the Internet to stay in touch with friends and relatives (93%), research various topics (77%), stay current with news and events (68%), join discussion groups and chat rooms (53%), follow and/or make stocks and investments transactions (47%), make purchases (45%) and play games (34%).38 While these results cannot be compared to the results provided above , not least because that sample by definition was composed of people so knowledgeable of Internet technology that they could answer an online survey, and the fact that the pilot study reported here can in no way be considered representative , they do mirror the Sydney results for whom communication with friends and family, research, and news and current events feature large. Specifically, seniors sites were frequented by half the Internet sample , not surprising considering the computer club in this sample has its own website. Leisure-oriented sites dominated the other sites accessed, followed by sites of a serious nature like news and weather, then personal issues sites such as those dealing with health and genealogy, and finally, business/ government sites .

The results reported above suggest that computers and particularly the Internet facilitate social interaction, be it through writing letters to businesses and organisations, emailing friends and family, or participating in computer/Internet clubs and/or courses. These older people have seen how computers provide them with a vehicle for social exchange and, in many cases, information retrieval and gains in knowledge. But studies overseas have shown that computers and the Internet have a wider promise: The Internet, including E-mail, has the potential to improve social support and psychosocial well-being for many older adults in a variety of ways.39 This can be manifested in improved self-esteem, as well as positive feelings generated by a sense of computer mastery.40 Other benefits include a sense of productivity and accomplishment, and, for residents of nursing homes, co-operation and amiability.41 The Internet promotes relationships based on companionship rather than just support in times of stress, thereby contributing to lower life stress and other health benefits.42 The results of this study confirm that older people embrace computer technology and the Internet for many reasons, including psychosocial ones, such as to avoid isolation, for purposes of communication and interaction, for education and attaining knowledge, and to keep their brain cells working. Expectations from a session on the Internet, apart from expected outcomes like acquiring the required item(s) of information, were also more intangible factors like enlightenment, entertainment, enjoyment, satisfaction and friendship (which incorporated approximately one third of all responses), clear contributors to peoples well-being. This is not to negate the importance of information seeking and knowledge acquisition, which comprised the other two thirds of respondents expectations, but does help to place it in perspective, as part of a whole.

It also leads to the question of the differential use of the Internet according to gender. While men constitute the majority of Internet users in Australia (54% of all Internet users in May 1999),43 the gender gap between mens and womens use of the Internet at home is narrowing.44 Singh argues that women in rural Australia generally use the Internet as a tool for activities rather than as a technology to be mastered. They also prefer more personal communication that the impersonal forms preferred by men. Whether these points have any applicability to older women is unclear; what is interesting, however, is that the proportion of women using email in the present study is slightly smaller than the proportion using the World Wide Web. One expectation of this research was that women would predominate in the communication aspect of the Internet, but, while taking into account the small numbers involved, this does not seem to be the case.

Limitations of the Study

The small sample size is an obvious restriction on the generalisability of the data contained herein. It also hindered potentially useful and interesting data being generated by cross-tabulations. Any further study using this instrument should aim for a much larger sample size to overcome such constraints.

The limitations of using a convenience sample should also be acknowledged. It may be that canvassing participants in such a way has skewed the results substantially. No information is available on non-respondents; self-selection into the study population could have introduced a degree of bias into the results.45

The choice of the LGA has undoubtedly influenced the results as it is not an area recognised for its cultural diversity. All participants spoke English well and this too may have skewed the results.

Concluding Remarks

The results of this pilot study are not generalisable to the whole population as the sample size was too small and the sample itself not randomly selected nor representative. Nonetheless, they do provide interesting insights into the motivations of some older people in taking up computer and Internet technology. If the study were to be expanded in the future, more details could be obtained as to educational level and computer experience, and so forth, so that greater understanding of the needs and issues of this age group could be gleaned.

The results show a degree of tentativeness on the part of these older people. Most respondents felt they needed more practice, despite almost three-quarters having owned a computer for more than a year. This corresponds with the sense of trepidation found in other studies, a fear of failure or of breaking the equipment. Familiarity with the technology will overcome this sense of apprehension, and there are many indications, such as the ABS data, that older people are embracing new technology.

The Information Age is a relatively new phenomenon. We are experiencing a possibly transitional period during which vast amounts of new technology are entering our lives. Perhaps as the baby boomers enter their golden years, studies such as this may not need to be undertaken. But then again, probably what we are seeing now is just the tip of the technological advancement iceberg.

Acknowledgment

This paper was originally written as part of the Graduate Diploma in Commerce (Information and Library Management) at the University of New South Wales. The author would like to thank her supervisor Dr Mari Davis for comments made on an earlier draft and for her support throughout the research project.

Notes

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