Types of Older Adults ICT Users and the Grey Divide: Attitudes Matter

Abstract

In a context where the proportion of older people increases, research related to active aging and digital technologies has generated a wide debate and numerous investigations aiming to implement new public policies. Usually these are based more on “classic” gaps than on the so-called “grey divide”, which focuses on perceptions and attitudes. To capture this dimension, a questionnaire was designed on uses, learning, and ethical, motivational and attitudinal aspects. A fi eld work was carried out aimed at the population of the Autonomous Community of Madrid between 65 and 80 years old, with quotas of age and sex, with a total of 785 cases, with a sampling error of 3.5% for a p=95%. The results indicate that, given the specifi c uses made by the elderly, they are marked by the ubiquity of the cell phone, which is basically used to communicate, to alleviate loneliness and to stay active. Thus, through a cluster analysis we have been able to elaborate a typology of users according to attitudes and perceptions (grey divide) allowing us to better characterize the levels of technological adoption in a wider set of factors.